Most of us have engaged in the verbal debate at some point. Most likely over a game of beer pong, when a guy makes that common assumption that boys are simply tougher than girls. We then launch into defense mode, listing off reasons why women are a hundred times tougher than men. It always ends in the same statement: “well men don’t have to go through labor!”

End of fight. (Hopefully you sink your next throw to send the point home).

An Australian TV anchor wanted to end this feud once and for all so he agreed to be put into simulated labor (with a machine that sends electric currents through the abdomen which feel like contraction pains). Needless to say, after only three hours he called it quits (mind you, most women are in labor for an average of 10-12 hours), concluding, “Women win. Men don’t.”

Finally, we are getting the credit we deserve. But honestly, we knew he never stood a chance. Of course men can’t handle labor! They can’t handle most of the things women put up with on a daily or monthly basis. Men could never handle being women, period.

Menstruation

Let’s just get the most obvious out of the way. Men have no freakin’ clue, and no words can communicate how much our monthly gift sucks. Men turn into little boys crying for mommy when they get the sniffles, yet we can expect to feel like someone is slicing our uterus out with a chainsaw and ripping it through our vagina every month. Not to mention that we then either walk around wearing a diaper for a week, or shove a compact tube of toilet paper up our vaginas. Do either of these sound like good options to you, men? Didn’t think so.

Grooming

Men run a comb through their hair, a razor over their faces (if it’s a special occasion), and that’s that. Women have a laundry list of things that aren’t even options. Sure we could walk around with bushy eyebrows and leg hair long enough to braid, but we would be hippie tree-huggers, European or just dirty. Either way, we wouldn’t be getting much love. Our morning ritual includes a leg shave, an armpit shave, and plucking the strays from our brow. And I have two more words for you: bikini wax. Pure hell.

Hormones

It’s not our faults that we cry every time we see The Notebook, or that we get fuming mad for apparently no reason. Women have to deal with crazy hormones that are cycling all over the place, leaving us emotional and a bit bi-polar at times. Your hormones make you horny; ours take us on an emotional roller coaster…it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to pick out which is worse and which can simply be cured with a magazine and a bottle of Jergens.

Clothes

We love being girls; we love dressing up and we love fashion. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. We have to shimmy into tight dresses, suck it all in until we pass out to get our Spanxx over our thighs and walk around with dental floss between our butt cheeks to prevent panty lines. And I’d like to challenge the Australian TV host to a heel-off. I bet he doesn’t last one block in a pair of stilettos.

Birth Control

You think the “loss of sensation” from a condom is bad? Try weight gain, mood swings, breakouts and tender breasts that come with The Pill.You have no idea.

Sex

Yes, it’s amazing. Yes, we love it. No, it is not always comfortable. No matter how enjoyable it ends up being, you are still shoving a cucumber through a quarter-sized hole. (Editor’s Note: If you’re lucky. But even a gherkin hurts…) We know you have your share of problems being the plug, but it isn’t easy peesy being the outlet.

What else about being a girl do you get think a guy could never endure?

[This story was originally posted by Brianna - Fordham University.]

The opinions were strong and varied and led to an eighty comment debate on the appropriate way to wax your pubic area, if there even is an appropriate way to do that. So with all that backlash, we thought it might be a good idea to create a post that attempts to dive into some of these issues as well as attempt to determine why such a personal choice has become such a public issue at all.

So really, we’re not answering any of your questions, we’re just trying to understand them. This post is not trying to sway you one way or the other. I’m just laying out some differing opinions and creating a forum for discussion. And I thought the best way to do that would be to go straight to your comments. So why is this such a big issue? Why do women have such differing opinions on it? And should we even be attempting to justify something that we ourselves have called medieval torture?  Let’s find out.

Comment # 1: Shaving down there is no worse than shaving ur legs or ur arm pits for that matter. It’s all in what u (as a woman) like. 

Can it be that simple? Can it be as easy as girls, to do what you want to do because you want to do it, whether that means living with an entire forest or going bare. Be comfortable and confident in your decision and just go with it. Don’t worry about what other men or women think. It’s a nice thought, but that’s easier said than done, especially after reading comments like the one below.

Comment #2:  Shaven is the best. Anyone who says anything else is lying. men love it and if women do it, the men will be better men.

The question every woman asks herself about pretty much everything. Am I doing this because I want to or because I know it’s what someone else wants and I’ve convinced myself it’s what I want to? Is that what something like this comes down to? A secret voice telling you that this is what the guy wants? Or for some women is that voice less secret. They openly hate it,  but choose to do it anyway. Is that okay? Or should we be saying…

Comment # 3: Any man who will be a “better man” if his girlfriend shaves down there is a total douche.

This comment raises a good point. If that’s what it takes to get the guy is it worth it? Aren’t we always saying if a man doesn’t like you for you who are then he’s not the man for you. Is this the same sort of situation? Should women really feel pressured to wax their pubic hair? I mean with comments like the above how can women not feel pressured to do so, and if that’s the case, how can we stand for it?

And finally, one last issue to address.

Comment # 4: Why are women being advised to go hairless like a child? That is really gross and nasty. I understand no one wants a wild forest but hairless is too much like a pedophile’s dream.

Is it the Brazilian bikini wax that’s giving all waxing a bad name? And is that bad name justified? Does going bare make women seem childlike? Is it indulging pedophilia? And if one gets a normal wax instead of a Brazilian does that take this issue off the table?

This is obviously a very complicated issue that requires we take a lot of different things into consideration. But I doubt most of you spend you time contemplating the question: to wax or not to wax, and if you wax how much should you wax.

So here’s your chance. Leave a comment and let us know what you think and why you feel that way

When it comes to wooing the opposite sex, men have it easy. As far as I know, they approach you and whip out the pick-up line. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

Women on the other hand, play a whole different game. Sometimes it seems as if our entire existence is based on impressing a guy. And it’s exhausting. We don’t think about it often (or we argue that we’re doing these things for ourselves as much as for the men), but when you stop and take notice of all the things we do to woo the gentlemen, well, it’s absurd:

1. Padded Bras
Guys have been trained to like a nice set of boobs, and women have been trained to do anything to give them to them. Hell, that must be Victoria’s Secret. But push-up bras are often uncomfortable, expensive and so. effing. hard. to wash without totally ruining them. And yet we wear them. All the time. In fact, you’re probably wearing one right now.

2. High Heels
Although I do enjoy how I feel when I slip on some pumps and strut my shiz at the bar, I don’t enjoy the throbbing blisters that plague me. And they always plague me. But I wear those torture devices every weekend anyway, because while it would be far more comfortable, there’s nothing sexy to the campus boys about a pair of worn-in sweatpants and some flip flops.

3. Waiting to Respond
In a feeble attempt to seem mysterious/extremely busy/cool, girls will often wait to respond to a text or a phone call from a guy. Although realistically, we’re counting down every waking minute as we run through a million response options, asking our friends (again and again) which one would be the wittiest/cutest to send when the time is right. And then asking them when that time actually is so we don’t seem either pathetic or like we’re blowing them off.

4. Eating Salad (Instead of Something Tastier)
I love me a good burger, but I know I think twice before ordering one on a first date with a guy. We want guys to think we are dainty little things who eat like bunnies, not like frat boys, so we sacrifice our own culinary happiness. And only eat half. Then we go home and scarf down a bag of chips in the privacy of our own bedroom while dissecting the entire evening with our girlfriends.

5. Brazilians
Let’s be honest, we aren’t letting someone wax in there for our own benefit.

6. Playing the Jealousy Game
Even though he is the only man for us, we don’t want him to think he’s the only man who can have us. So we go out of our way to flirt with other guys and make sure he see’s it. It’ll make him want us more, right?

7. Pretending to Like His Music/TV Shows/Sports Team
To you, watching professional baseball is like watching paint dry. And you think Dave Matthews is the most over-rated songwriter on earth. And Indian food? You’d rather eat ramen noodles than even try some of that curry stuff. But once Mr. Right walks in, you’re chowing down on Na’an while studying the Yankees line-up with DMB playing in the background just so you can keep up the ruse.

Get it? Got it? Good. Want some more? Don’t worry, there are plenty more faves where this came from.

For most of us, bikini waxing is a summertime requirement, along the lines of flip flops and SPF 15. You can’t go to the beach with a fur skirt, right? But did you know that how you landscape says a lot about who you are? It’s true – guys can read your vajay like a book. I asked a couple of dudes what they think when they come face to…er….vajeen.

What kind of story is your bikini line telling?

Goin’ Natural:
If a guy can get some booty, he usually doesn’t care what’s happening south of the border, but that doesn’t mean he’s not paying attention. A woman who lets her forest grow wild is either totally inexperienced in the bedroom or super hippie-dippie-trippie and lets that stuff grow everywhere. “I’m afraid to see what her armpits look like,” says dude #1.

The Traditional Clean Up:
So, you take care of anything that might poke out of the bikini bottoms and do some basic trimming everywhere else. What does this say? “She’s considerate, but probably not going to let me flip her around in bed.”

Landing Strip:
Leaving a little patch is a big turn on for guys. Duh. Dude numero 3 tells me: “She takes care of herself and knows what a guy wants. I’d be willing to ask for some more adventurous sexcapades from her.” Dude #1 chimes in, “The landing strip is the holy grail. When I discover it, I almost can’t control myself. Instant turn on.” (As if he really needed one at that point…)

Baring it All:
If you’re daring enough to go totally bare (and I commend you – OUCH!), guys don’t really know what to think. “I feel like a pedophile when there’s nothing down there,” said one guy. Another can’t stop wondering if it was a “shaving incident gone awry.” But there are some that like it. Guy #2 explained: “I’m much more willing to take myself downtown if there is no worry of coughing up a hairball later. And a girl who gets rid of it all is most definitely a freak in the sheets.”

Fun With Shapes:
Yes, there are women out there who treat their vajays like a work of art. Butterflies, hearts and arrows (?!) are some of the more common shapes women will shave into their nether regions. But what do guys think? “Do not enter. That woman gets around.” Guy #3 agreed: “Like a hot dog in a diseased hallway.”

Do you think guys are “reading” us right?

[This story was originally posted by one of the fantabulous CC Editors. That's hard hitting journalism, people.]

Likey? Don’t worry, there are plenty more faves where this came from.

My roomie once said, in a conversation that I very much regret missing, “You know, I could see why you would trim your bush if it got a little out of hand…but I don’t know why the hell you would cut the whole thing down. It just makes your lawn look funny!” And, no, we were not talking about horticulture.

Au naturale doesn’t really seem to be the method of style in female nether regions. It supposedly looks neater when it’s taken care of. I know a lot of girls who keep themselves trimmed, and quite a few who wax. It’s easier than shaving, I’ve heard said. You don’t get the obnoxious bumps that you normally get when you shave that inevitably leads to impromptu itchy dances. Not to mention it’s a lot neater and it takes longer to grow back. I never really supported it; it didn’t even seem like it was worth the effort to me and I’m still not sure how I feel about men who want their women’s parts to look prepubescent.

Still, I’d heard so much…

And so, in another one of my infamously stupid ideas, I decided to get a full Brazilian wax last summer. For those who don’t know, there’s a difference between Brazilian waxes and bikini waxes. Bikini waxes are really more like a neat little trimming so that, as the name suggests, you can wear a bikini confidently. Brazilian waxes are when you get everything – EVERYTHING – waxed off. Mind you, no one was going to be seeing the result of this wax except for me. It was nothing but curiosity.

And yes, curiosity really does kill the cat. Warning: this gets a little graphic from here on. 

How?
With a little DIY, of course.

When it comes to treating yourself, you don’t need to shell out the big bucks for a professional; you can get the same results right there in the privacy of your bedroom. And we’ve got all the secrets. From great first date make-up and hair ideas, to cheap ways to bring your closet from drab to fab, here is your do-it-yourself guide to looking and feeling great.

The DIY Manicure. Even those cheap-o $12 manicures add up, so save that dough and manicure your own fine hands. You’ll have to head to your local drug store to stock up on all the essentials, like this season’s most fun and funky colors, but you’ll end up spending way less in the long run. And it’s worth it for Zebra-print nails.

The DIY Wax. If you’re especially daring, check out these seven tips for a successful at-home wax. And if you want to try the latest vajazzling craze without the awkwardness of having a strange woman in your area, there are now peel-and-stick rhinestone designs you can apply (and take off….) yourself.

The DIY Facial. We all want that perfect, glowing complexion but it’s not always (or ever??) practical to drop $90 on a salon facial. e.l.f. Cosmetics’ Creative Director explains step-by-step how to get that dewey but not greasy look yourself. And if you want to be really resourceful, you can even make face masks and body butter from leftover items in your pantry. Yum.

The DIY Makeover. There’s no reason not to look stunning for a first date (or a night out looking for a boy to take you on a first date), even with an empty wallet. Think Blair Waldorf! You can recreate her pulled-together, always classy look by making your own hair flair and copying her barely-there makeup. Just don’t forget to prepare for any mishaps (pit stains, anyone?) that might come your way.

The DIY Up-do. You don’t need some beauty school grad to update your everyday ‘do. It can be as simple and inexpensive as upgrading the half-up, half-down look, or being a little more adventurous and trying a retro side pin-up.

DIY Couture. Can’t afford the pricey goods lining the walls of your campus boutiques? Think high-fashion on a budget and add some Michael Jackson bling to your everyday V-neck tee. Instead of shelling out the cash, take your already amazing jeans and destroy them yourself. And make the boyfriend blazer you love so much completely unique and individual (like you!) by adding some funky patterned cuffs.

And if you really wanna knock everybody’s socks off, all you really need is a perfect Angelina Jolie pout and sultry smudge-proof eye makeup.

You go girl! Hit the town and knock ‘em dead….then spend all that leftover cash on something fabulous.

Much like boat shoes, chambray and shortening words, celibacy is now officially trendy. You heard me: celibacy. Trendy. Totes. Lady Gaga and Courtney Love are doing it. Or, well, not doing it, I suppose. But it’s not only them. According to a new article in the New York Post, bands of women are going celibate, claiming it makes them happy.

One woman who went celibate said it enabled her to be attracted to a “different kind of guy” (maybe one who could actually, finally remember her name and, perhaps, even had a job?!). And that’s just one of the reasons celibacy may have such an optimistic, alluring attraction for all these women.  Here are 5 reasons I can imagine those chaste women are enjoying their celibate selves:

1. You can finally revert back to all those old habits you know think guys would never approve of – like late night eating.
I don’t know about you, but I always skip the late night pizza when I’ve got a guy in tow. And while a little late night nookie is always nice, I always wake up in the morning missing that slice (or 3) I didn’t have. But no sex = more pizza, and more pizza = happiness.

2. No more bikini waxes.
What’s the point? No one’s goin’ down there anyway.

3. The whole damn bed to yourself.
You mean you don’t have to fight for the covers, end up with the entire left side of your body tingling, or feel some guy’s morning “happiness” in your back when you wake up? Happy, happy, happy.

4. Boy problems can finally stop being THE topic of every conversation with your girlfriends.

5. No more Walks of Shame
Sure, the exercise is nice, but I think we can all agree we’d be better off without it.

While I totally see the appeal of chastity, I’m not sure I’m ready to dive in just yet. I may change my mind, however, after next week’s Brazilian appointment.

Who’s another of her Hollywood d-bags?

Sandra Bullock is really, really happy. Really!

You waxing at home? A few tips from the pros….

God sends Michael Lohan a message. He doesn’t get it.

Could this be the answer to painful pumps?

The 7 most glaring inconsistencies in TV show history.

When it comes to wooing the opposite sex, men have it easy. As far as I know, they approach you and whip out the pick-up line. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.

Women on the other hand, play a whole different game. Sometimes it seems as if our entire existence is based on impressing a guy. And it’s exhausting. We don’t think about it often (or we argue that we’re doing these things for ourselves as much as for the men), but when you stop and take notice of all the things we do to woo the gentlemen, well, it’s absurd:

1. Padded Bras
Guys have been trained to like a nice set of boobs, and women have been trained to do anything to give them to them. Hell, that must be Victoria’s Secret. But push-up bras are often uncomfortable, expensive and so. effing. hard. to wash without totally ruining them. And yet we wear them. All the time. In fact, you’re probably wearing one right now.

2. High Heels
Although I do enjoy how I feel when I slip on some pumps and strut my shiz at the bar, I don’t enjoy the throbbing blisters that plague me. And they always plague me. But I wear those torture devices every weekend anyway, because while it would be far more comfortable, there’s nothing sexy to the campus boys about a pair of worn-in sweatpants and some flip flops.

3. Waiting to Respond
In a feeble attempt to seem mysterious/extremely busy/cool, girls will often wait to respond to a text or a phone call from a guy. Although realistically, we’re counting down every waking minute as we run through a million response options, asking our friends (again and again) which one would be the wittiest/cutest to send when the time is right. And then asking them when that time actually is so we don’t seem either pathetic or like we’re blowing them off.

4. Eating Salad (Instead of Something Tastier)
I love me a good burger, but I know I think twice before ordering one on a first date with a guy. We want guys to think we are dainty little things who eat like bunnies, not like frat boys, so we sacrifice our own culinary happiness. And only eat half. Then we go home and scarf down a bag of chips in the privacy of our own bedroom while disecting the entire evening with our girlfriends.

5. Brazilians
Let’s be honest, we aren’t letting someone wax in there for our own benefit.

6. Playing the Jealousy Game
Even though he is the only man for us, we don’t want him to think he’s the only man who can have us. So we go out of our way to flirt with other guys and make sure he see’s it. It’ll make him want us more, right?

7. Pretending to Like His Music/TV Shows/Sports Team
To you, watching professional baseball is like watching paint dry. And you think Dave Matthews is the most over-rated songwriter on earth. And Indian food? You’d rather eat ramen noodles than even try some of that curry stuff. But once Mr. Right walks in, you’re chowing down on Na’an while studying the Yankees line-up with DMB playing in the background just so you can keep up the ruse.

End of fight. (Hopefully you sink your next throw to send the point home).

An Australian TV anchor wanted to end this feud once and for all so he agreed to be put into simulated labor (with a machine that sends electric currents through the abdomen which feel like contraction pains). Needless to say, after only three hours he called it quits (mind you, most women are in labor for an average of 10-12 hours), concluding, “Women win. Men don’t.”

Finally, we are getting the credit we deserve. But honestly, we knew he never stood a chance. Of course men can’t handle labor! They can’t handle most of the things women put up with on a daily or monthly basis. Men could never handle being women, period.

Menstruation

Let’s just get the most obvious out of the way. Men have no freakin’ clue, and no words can communicate how much our monthly gift sucks. Men turn into little boys crying for mommy when they get the sniffles, yet we can expect to feel like someone is slicing our uterus out with a chainsaw and ripping it through our vagina every month. Not to mention that we then either walk around wearing a diaper for a week, or shove a compact tube of toilet paper up our vaginas. Do either of these sound like good options to you, men? Didn’t think so.

Grooming

Men run a comb through their hair, a razor over their faces (if it’s a special occasion), and that’s that. Women have a laundry list of things that aren’t even options. Sure we could walk around with bushy eyebrows and leg hair long enough to braid, but we would be hippie tree-huggers, European or just dirty. Either way, we wouldn’t be getting much love. Our morning ritual includes a leg shave, an armpit shave, and plucking the strays from our brow. And I have two more words for you: bikini wax. Pure hell.

Hormones

It’s not our faults that we cry every time we see The Notebook, or that we get fuming mad for apparently no reason. Women have to deal with crazy hormones that are cycling all over the place, leaving us emotional and a bit bi-polar at times. Your hormones make you horny; ours take us on an emotional roller coaster…it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to pick out which is worse and which can simply be cured with a magazine and a bottle of Jergens.

Clothes

We love being girls; we love dressing up and we love fashion. But that doesn’t mean it’s easy. We have to shimmy into tight dresses, suck it all in until we pass out to get our Spanxx over our thighs and walk around with dental floss between our butt cheeks to prevent panty lines. And I’d like to challenge the Australian TV host to a heel-off. I bet he doesn’t last one block in a pair of stilettos.

Birth Control

You think the “loss of sensation” from a condom is bad? Try weight gain, mood swings, breakouts and tender breasts that come with The Pill.You have no idea.

Sex

Yes, it’s amazing. Yes, we love it. No, it is not always comfortable. No matter how enjoyable it ends up being, you are still shoving a cucumber through a quarter-sized hole. (Editor’s Note: If you’re lucky. But even a gherkin hurts…) We know you have your share of problems being the plug, but it isn’t easy peesy being the outlet.

What else about being a girl do you get think a guy could never endure?