"No Mascara???"....I Exclaimed to My Eye Doctor!!!!!!

My eye doctor told me several years ago that I had a virus in my eye. She then said, "You may not wear your contacts for six months and no mascara. I shocked myself when the words, "NO MASCARA????" came spewing out of my mouth. I suppose I could hardly fathom bald eyes for a whole six months. I'll have to say I felt guilty over having a reaction that was so shrouded in pure vanity.

So, for curiosity's sake, I decided to pry into the minds of my female friends and take a stroll around the inside of their heads. I wanted to find out whether or not there was a widespread female unity that has the need for products that make our breed feel ever-so-lovely. All it took was one satisfying email sent out en masse. I simply asked, "If you were stranded on a deserted island and had enough food and drinks, what beauty products would you require to make your stay a little more survivable?" Within moments I was well-versed in the goings- on inside my friends' minds and their beauty requirements.

It seems that mascara was a top priority for several friends. (whew!) The other necessary needs included: under eye cover, base makeup, lipstick, eye shadow, lotion, eye drops, sunscreen, toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, deodorant, eye liner, lip gloss, hairdryer to straighten possible frizzy hair, bug spray, cover up for a birthmark, Q-tips, eyebrow pencil, hairbrush, chapstick, soap and tweezers that included the phase, "I'd die if I had a wild hair sticking out!"

I was so intrigued by these answers that I decided to go beyond the arena of pure vanity and into the area of any type of needs for survivability that excluded beauty products. Is your interest piqued?" Let's delve a little further into the psyche of us females. Curious, guys? Their answers included: Good company, mattress with comforter and down pillows, short-wave radio, air conditioning, a friend, tea, classical music, CD player, Christian CD's, chair, umbrella, iPod, notebooks for journaling, toilet paper, baking soda, martinis, pen and paper, thick novel, wide brimmed garden hat, solar-powered cell phone, bikini, sarong and earrings.

Hmm -- My thirst was not quenched enough. '˜What about the male brain?' I wondered. Of course, for comparison's sake, I was compelled to take the same trek into the masculine mind. Knowing there is typically no such thing as "man-ity vanity," I excluded the need for beauty products and I just sent out the request for basic survival needs. Interestingly, I received a landslide of answers within nanoseconds. Curious, girls?

Here goes: The first male answer I received was: a pleasant, attractive, woman, and if she's not available, a good dog. The other responses included: a machete, flashlight, matches, hand-held fan, blanket, solar panel to power up all my life improving electronic gear, an intelligent woman, cellular phone service, laptop with remote capability, a fully fueled 200 foot yacht moored offshore and manned by the Swedish bikini team, a Leatherman tool and a fly rod, map, boat, rope, knife, golf clubs, musical instrument, a classy lady and a nice bottle of champagne.

My natural conclusion is that it's the diversity of males and females that makes this world so fascinatingly interesting. What a boring place it would be if we all shared the same likes, dislikes and survival needs. It takes all types to make the world go '˜round. I can only hope the tube of mascara never faces possible extinction.