Genders split on style: poll

By Misty Harris
CanWest News Service

A new survey boldly goes where no macho man has gone before, daring to ask Canadian women the question most guys think but don't dare verbalize: Isn't it unreasonable to own more than five pairs of black shoes?

Nearly 40 per cent of women don't think so; female footwear fans claim that having more than five pairs of similar soles is, in fact, perfectly acceptable. Only 15 per cent of men feel the same way.

Leger Marketing, commissioned by the makers of Aero chocolate bars to do the survey, examines the gender divide in Canadian homes from the clothes closet to the bathroom.

When asked how many outfits they would pack for a weekend getaway, 67 per cent of women said three or four; 44 per cent of men would do the same. Three per cent of women - and no men - would bring seven or more ensembles, while 15 per cent of gals and 52 per cent of guys believed two or fewer outfits would suffice.

When asked whether using four products to wash and style their hair is "reasonable;' only 10 per cent of men - presumably those with well-manicured manes - agreed, compared with one-third of women. Seven out of 10 male respondents "strongly disagreed" with deploying such a large arsenal of hair products.

The vast majority of the fairer sex (81 per cent) spend five minutes or longer shopping in the toiletries aisle, with one in five confessing they ')ust love it there." By contrast, two-thirds of men say they typically spend half a minute or less shopping for personal care items. Fully 11 per cent say they don't shop for hygiene products at all.