Quirkies: Wedding dress bride test, eyeing up realities and make-up addiction
Wednesday, 01 Nov 2006 17:46
Men check out women for six months of their lives
Although men may be shocked at the news, women are hardly likely to be surprised to learn that they spend an average of £36 each year alone on cosmetics. And trumping the view that British women are less well-groomed than their continental counterparts, research from Mintel claims that British women are the most likely to splash out on new products, spending £4 more than French women and £14 more than German women.
"Since the millennium, glitz and glamour have made a comeback and colour once more reigns supreme, a development that has undoubtedly helped boost the industry," commented Michelle Strutton, senior market analyst at Mintel.
Jumping from one female obsession to a male obsession, it has been calculated that the average British man spends six months of his life ogling women. According to the research from BuySpecs4Less.co.uk, every day men look at an average of eight women for a total of two minutes each time.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, breasts are the first point of call, followed by the bottom and legs. Women on the other hand, eye up men just twice a day for 90 seconds – totalling roughly one month of their lifetime. And eyes are the first thing they look at. Nice to know that British male/female stereotypes remain safe and sound.
Being jilted at the altar is possibly one of the worst things that could happen to you, but for one Romanian man it was simply an opportunity to find a new wife. Ananova reports that Florin Mazilu, from Malu Mare in southeastern Romania, was dumped four days before his wedding. He then offered to marry any woman who could fit into the wedding dress. Within hours a local girl was found who literally fitted the bill.
"Ana Maria was the only one of dozens of girls who could fit into the dress perfectly and could wear the ring," he said. "It was love at first sight. I knew she was perfect from the moment I saw her."
Most thieves leave just fingerprints behind, but one burglar in Germany left a vital clue: his fingertip. A spokesman for the Hildesheim police said: 'We usually find fingerprints at the crime scene, but it's not every day that thieves leave the original there too." After a quick search on their database, the police were able to identify the thief, who at first denied any involvement in the crime until he was presented with the fingertip.
"I don't know if the fellow asked for it back afterwards," the police spokesman added.
A 69-year-old woman was rescued by a politician after she spent four days trapped under her fridge. Inga Walen, of Roseville, California, was pinned to the ground after leaning into the top-heavy fridge, which then toppled on top of her. Despite banging on the cooker and throwing shards of glass at the window, no one knew of her predicament.
It was only when Greg Allen, a politician running for the Placer County Water Board, heard Inga's call for help while going door-to-door campaigning that she escaped from her predicament. After managing to get into the house he was able to free Inga, who has said that she doesn't care which party he represents, he's guaranteed her vote.