I received this email today, written from a man's pt of view:

IT’S no secret: Men do lie. But, believe it or not, we do it to our women folk without any intention of deceiving them. We have noble objectives. We lie because women can’t handle the truth. So instead of speaking plainly, we say a silent prayer as we turn fact into fiction while keeping our faces straight. For to speak the truth, particularly about women’s weight and appearances, can be hazardous to our health. I don’t know about you, but I don’t wish to be: 1. Hit on the head by her handbag; 2. Given the cold shoulder for the rest of the day, or 3. Kicked out of bed and having to spend the night alone on the cold, living room couch. Now, before you call me a congenital liar, allow me to reassure you that I will raise my hand and confess my guilt if I have forgotten to lift the toilet seat cover. Or even write countless lines as punishment so that it will not happen again the next time nature calls. And, yes, I will readily admit to not feeding the luohan and pet cat as Manchester United goes in search of goals in extra-time. Yet, when it comes to matters of the scale, I will not tell the truth for I believe that discretion is the better part of valour. This is a truly weighty issue. One that can crush a man if he dares tell the truth. Who says women do not have egos? This scenario is being played out in countless homes every day: She says (for the millionth time in a week): Have I put on weight? He says: Of course not, dear. It must be the unflattering dress. She says: But you were the one who picked the dress! He says: Well, it must be the lighting then (and proceeds to the kitchen to stay out of trouble). Sounds familiar? Well, of course. No matter what they say, I have yet to find a woman who insists on the truth when the needle threatens to burst out of the weighing machine. Sometimes I wonder if they know what a weighing machine is. All you have to do is stand on it and it tells your weight. Not a kilogram more or less. The scale does not lie. So why the need to ask the men in their life whether or not they have put on weight? I suspect that they want us to lie. Right, ladies? What about this scenario? She says: What are you looking at? He says: Nothing. She says: You were looking at that girl, right? He says: What girl? Oh, that one. Man, she has an ugly nose. Did you see her handbag? It certainly does not match her clothes. Yucks! Often, that last line is enough for the smile to return to her face. When I was younger and more naive, I often wondered why women glared at me whenever I commented that they looked good with the additional kilograms. It didn’t matter that I was sincere. So now, I have perfected my Oscar-winning act. Even if they are double the size they once were, I’ll exclaim: "Wow! You look fantastic! Which gym do you go to?" Most times, they fall for it hook, line and sinker. In the office, female colleagues have no qualms ridiculing the guys on how we have ballooned since we first walked into the job. But when we tell them the same thing, we get a stream of curses such as !#@*. Now, I know better. Call me a coward, but I never tell a female colleague that her once petite butt is now the size of Roseanne Barr’s. For women, it’s all give and no take as they certainly can’t handle the truth (this also applies to cooking). So yes, it is no secret that men lie - but only for the women they love. Note: Adam has found the woman of his dreams with the perfect genes. She has miraculously stayed in shape since the day they met. Bless her.

I agree with him on some points. No matter how feminist a woman claims to be, we still like to hear nice, pleasing things! You can sweeten up such things certainly, but lies on major issues are totally unacceptable. Men should learn to differentiate between the 2.

# posted by Shopaholic : 4:14 PM