Depends on what you mean by "high maintenace"

Talking about George Clooney’s “youth preference” got me to thinking about high maintenance and low maintenance. Off the cuff, if I asked what was “high maintenance”, most people would say that it involves lots of expensive presents “just because”, romantic dinners, spa appointments and always being on one’s best behavior.

But there’s the other kind of high maintenance woman, that doesn’t get as much press. Someone who expects emotional honesty, generosity over indifference, honorable intentions and kindness. That takes a whole lot of work. It can be pretty exhausting.

I think many men complain pretty openly about the first kind of high maintenance women, but live in secret fear of the second. Which is kind of disingenuous. The first kind of high maintenance results in a picture perfect woman suitable for any trophy case. Though they may complain about it, that airbrushed gal is has something tangible that you can show off to the boys. The emotionally high maintenance woman is a little harder to brag about. “Man, my woman never lets me get away with saying things are fine when they aren’t. What a gal!” Too bad. That kind of high maintenance usually ends up in hearty relationships that go the distance.

And this isn’t a knock against men. There are just as many women who pride themselves on being Birkin Bag and spa treatment high maintenance, and don’t ever think about being the other kind. It’s a lot of hard work too. Because it’s hard to demand things like emotional honesty when you aren’t doing it yourself.