Are there any "women's laws" similar to "men's laws"?

[Taverner]

You know like the men's drinking rules, the men's urinal etiquitte rules, the 3-day-callback rule, etc...

Just wondering if you women are bound by such strict rules as we guys...

[arwalden]

1. ~

:popcorn:

[TheFriendlyAnarchist]

23. That'll be one dollar

:P

[LeftyMom]

2. Not so much in our interactions with eachother as in our interactions with

men, especially men who are taken. While the driving force in men's taboos appears to be asserting one's heteroness to other men, with women the message to be sent is "I am not unduly interested in your man."

[wildhorses]

4. I would have to agree about that...

never ever have anything to do with your gf's man....NEVER...no matter how long they have been split up!!!

[bloom]

5. There are some women

who will not openly compete with each other.

Like I was at a baby shower with a group of women once - and there were some kind of games for prizes - and nobody wanted to win. It was like they were too polite to do that or something (maybe they figured they wouldn't like the prizes :shrug: ). It seemed as if they thought that trying to win was rude or something. This was something like 20 women.

I come from a family where games are played and played to win - so it just seemed funny to me. It seemed like people playing by different rules.

[LaraMN]

3. Mine is: make sure there's no one on the other side of the outward-

swinging door, when you leave the bathroom. Unfortuantely, when I'm not at my mentally sharpest, I tend to forget. I'm sure if I'm ever involved in a bar brawl, it will be the result of my smacking another chick with the door.

[skygazer]

6. The only one I know of is the one that says

women cannot go to the restroom alone. Never understood it. I'd be out with my friends - "come to the bathroom with me," one of them would hiss in my ear.

Why? I don't have to pee. I don't want to watch. Are we doing lines in there? No. It's just a wierd thing - women have to use the restroom in herds. :wtf:

[El Fuego]

19. It's so we can talk about the other people, duh!

}(

[Book Lover]

7. No

I'm looking at the posts here and saying to myself, "Nope, nope, nope." I can pee on my own and if I want to win a silly shower game, I'll do so. So these women's laws are hardly universal.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

20. The men's rules are not universal either

If I meet a woman that I like and am interested in, I will call her when I have a free moment to call her (whether it's the next day or not).

I am/was completly oblivious to the drinking rules the OP posted the other day; when I'm out with other males, we order whatever the hell we want when we want it.

And, I've been on the receiving end of a rule violation that I thought actually was fairly universal when one of my "friends" began dating my fairly long-term gf within a week or two of us breaking up.

So....

[jobycom]

8. There seems to be one about forcing men to figure out a complicated

set of ritual flirting steps before going out with him, even when the intentions of both parties are clear. And when the man can't figure out the exact nuanced responses, snapping at him and leaving rather than just speaking plainly for a friggin' minute!

Ummm... not that that's happened to me in the last two hours or anything...

[SOteric]

9. Uh. Yeah.

I've been subject to, and have heard a great deal of certain unwritten codes amoung women. I don't necessarily subscribe to them, but I damned sure know they're there.

For example:

1. Any one of your old dear friends or extended family not show up for the function? Then they're fair game for gossip.

2. It's not acceptable to go through another woman's bathroom cabinets unless a) she's an extremely close friend you've known for a minimum of a decade, or b) you are experiencing a feminine hygiene emergency.

2.1 It's poor form not to have a supply of emergency hygiene products in an easily accessible, relatively simple to find location.

3(a) If you're a woman and you're at the home of any other woman, of whatever level of acquaintance, for a dinner invitation; you must offer to help in the kitchen before the meal. And you must offer to help clean up after dinner. Otherwise, they're going to make unkind value judgements about you as a person.

3(b) If you're a woman and you're invited to the home of another woman, of whatever level of acquaintance for a dinner invitation; any offer of help in the kitchen will be perceived as an insult to the hostesses skills in putting together such an event. You will be subject to unkind value judgements about you as a person.

3.1 It's entirely up to the individual in question to determine whether rule 3(a) or rule 3(b) is in play. Class and income can be, though they're not always, an important factor in determining which rule to use.

4. If you're a woman and you're invited to a gathering, you are required to offer to bring something. If your hostess declines the offer, you're required to bring something anyway.

5. Showing up at a wedding wearing:
a) a revealing or form-fitting outfit,
b) a white dress when you're not the bride,
c) a white dress when you are the bride but you've rather blatantly slept around,
d) wearing all black, as in the style of mourning clothes though not a Goth,

will result in unkind judgements about you as a person.

6. Be overweight and the rest of womankind will be able to relate to you, sympathise with your struggles and perceive you as 'genuine.' Be underweight and they'll make unkind judgements about you as a person.

7. Spending too much money means you're a flibbertygibbit. Spending too much money on shoes is alright though.

8. Make a pass at a guy you're interested in and you're a liberated woman, well able to assert her sexuality and comfortable with herself. Make a pass at my man and you're a sl#t.

[XemaSab]

12. I think it's because overweight women are not perceived as a threat

by other women.

But lemme tell ya, guys just don't see it that way. ;)

[Ariana Celeste]

13. Re: 3(a) & 3(b)

:rofl:

Cracked me up, thinking of my mama- she loved when anyone other than a boyfriend's mother offered to help. But when the boyfriend's mother offered it was insulting- when boyfriend's mother cleaned without asking, now that was the ultimate insult.

And I've kind of inherited that trait, too- I absolutely hate it when guests offer to clean, but if it is close friends and family, I'm cool with it.

[SOteric]

16. Oh I hear that.

There were times when I used to invite my mum over and intentionally wind her up. Just because I know she'd clean. :7 *sigh* Nobody ever loves you like your mum.

[UncleSepp]

10. Oh good lord, no wonder I couldn't ever make it work

Nobody sent me the rule book! :rofl:

[XemaSab]

11. I think every woman has to figure out the rules for herself

Especially with dating, there are lines you do not cross.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

14. What are the urinal etiquette rules?

:rofl::rofl:

[LeftyMom]

15. 1. Have a penis.

2. If unable to follow rule 1, use a toilet.

[Blue-Jay]

25. Always leave a one urinal buffer-zone between you and another peeing guy.

Unless there's no other choice.

Always look straight ahead.
Never engage in conversation in front of a urinal.
Don't "shake" too much.
Farting is OK, excessive grunting is not.

[China_cat]

17. Never ever fuck anybody crazier than yourself.

[nosillies]

18. SOteric did a fabulous job explaining many of the social rules.

But women also have many fashion rules we feel we must follow (wedding fashion just being one teeny tiny sub-genre). The fashion rules are numerous, and tend to be regional, so I won't go into great detail because I doubt you're dying to know.

Men somehow tend to think that they can find one top, one bottom, and one pair of shoes (whether from the closet or hamper or trunk of the car), put it all together, and voila, fabulous outfit for any occasion.

[AlienGirl]

24. Can somebody please codify the fashion/clothing rules for me?

SOteric's list was enlightening to me--I finally figured out why certain of my in-laws despised me! (I didn't offer to cook and clean because their kitchen confused me and I'd have botched it). I was of lower social status than them, so it must have been a major violation.

What are the fashion rules? The only one I know is "no white shoes before Memorial Day or after Labor Day."

Tucker

[Orangepeel]

21. wasn't there a "how to catch a man" handbook called "The Rules"?

I never read it, but the existence of such a book makes me think that the answer to your question is a "yes." But I don't know exactly when women would follow these "rules," just like I don't know why men would follow a 3 day callback rule.

I don't know what the drinking rules and the urinal rules are. Maybe there are good hygiene reasons for them.

[Fleshdancer]

22. well I got an email a few months ago concerning a few women's rules

It has to do with feet...no chipped nail polish when wearing sandals, no foot overflow, etc. :shrug: