What women want

The headline is the title of a turn-of-the-century Hollywood fantasy starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt. The film was a box-office hit, but its 2019 loose remake, What Men Want, flopped. Who wants to know what men want?

- R. PRASANNAN

So what do women want? Men of my generation, when we wanted to please our wives on their birthdays or our anniversaries, bought them a new mixie, a refrigerator, a washing machine, a toaster, some comfy bed linen or fancy table linen—depending on the size of our pay cheques. Those were the kind of stuff, we thought, would ease the wives’ chores, give them more time to spend with us and children, make our homes brighter, and bring cheer to all at home. Called MCPs today, we spent our youths in an age when utility weighed more in our minds than the lure of luxury.

Men of my son’s or son-inlaw’s generation are more focused. They buy chiffons, silks, handbags, shoes, dresses or diamonds for their wives—depending on their credit limits. The kind of things that are of her personal use, yet the possession of which would make her feel enriched, empowered and proud.