The Men and the Laundry
Who said that men hate doing laundry and housework? Albeit, yes, every woman has their own tricks to convince a man to approach the washing machine. Whether by threatening to stop cooking or hiding the TV remote, the techniques are many and varied. Men by definition are very hasty when asked to do something.
Men are in minority today who take refuge in the stereotype of the Latin male clinging to outdated values, and are allergic to the laundry and unwilling to have an equal relationship with women. Gone are the days when mothers did laundry for hours in cauldrons and then painstakingly hand-rub it.
Indeed laundry earlier was not always a matter for the male sex. This led men like me even not knowing to turn on a washing machine. I was very reluctant with an excuse that I did not know how to put detergent or put fabric softener. That's the time to begin when my partner chipped in to make me understand the mechanism and functions properly for a perfect wash of the clothes.
Now with the Ariel Matic top and front load powder, I couldn’t have any more excuses. With me was my partner who showed me how easy it is to operate the washing machine. I was instructed to check the pocket of jeans or trousers before I insert them into the washing machine and to never mix colored garments with whites. It would risk a real chaos of discolored fabrics and ruin them completely. Similarly, the very dark clothes have to be washed separately.
The result was impeccable, clean and perfumed laundry and all without wasting much time, without pre-treat and without pre-wash. I would say that I passed the test watching the expressions on her face at last. Today it is hard to imagine that washing thanks to the push of a button, has become so simple, fast, convenient and delicate as we know it.
The task of doing the laundry does not end only in washing the clothes and going back to the couch, but to bend them and hang them well, to dry it properly, so that it is more comfortable iron them. Remember that he who washes clothes should not expect a medal otherwise you would be covered. But surely the smile and the kiss every time from my partner makes it all worth it.
One of the things I learned from my partner, is that she was overburdened with all the household work from cooking, washing, cleaning, taking our children to school or coaching centers. But I always say that first of all she is a woman, and as such is first of all the main protagonist of my life. At the same time, she is also a human being, and not a superhero. For this reason, I always thought it was not fair that the entire load of the family fall back on her.
Since then I learned to clean well and hang the clothes well. So I passed the test. And I say THANK YOU to all who have made it possible.
Men are in minority today who take refuge in the stereotype of the Latin male clinging to outdated values, and are allergic to the laundry and unwilling to have an equal relationship with women. Gone are the days when mothers did laundry for hours in cauldrons and then painstakingly hand-rub it.
Indeed laundry earlier was not always a matter for the male sex. This led men like me even not knowing to turn on a washing machine. I was very reluctant with an excuse that I did not know how to put detergent or put fabric softener. That's the time to begin when my partner chipped in to make me understand the mechanism and functions properly for a perfect wash of the clothes.
Now with the Ariel Matic top and front load powder, I couldn’t have any more excuses. With me was my partner who showed me how easy it is to operate the washing machine. I was instructed to check the pocket of jeans or trousers before I insert them into the washing machine and to never mix colored garments with whites. It would risk a real chaos of discolored fabrics and ruin them completely. Similarly, the very dark clothes have to be washed separately.
The result was impeccable, clean and perfumed laundry and all without wasting much time, without pre-treat and without pre-wash. I would say that I passed the test watching the expressions on her face at last. Today it is hard to imagine that washing thanks to the push of a button, has become so simple, fast, convenient and delicate as we know it.
The task of doing the laundry does not end only in washing the clothes and going back to the couch, but to bend them and hang them well, to dry it properly, so that it is more comfortable iron them. Remember that he who washes clothes should not expect a medal otherwise you would be covered. But surely the smile and the kiss every time from my partner makes it all worth it.
One of the things I learned from my partner, is that she was overburdened with all the household work from cooking, washing, cleaning, taking our children to school or coaching centers. But I always say that first of all she is a woman, and as such is first of all the main protagonist of my life. At the same time, she is also a human being, and not a superhero. For this reason, I always thought it was not fair that the entire load of the family fall back on her.
Since then I learned to clean well and hang the clothes well. So I passed the test. And I say THANK YOU to all who have made it possible.
Kalyan Panja
Kalyan Panja is a photographer and a travel writer sharing stories and experiences through photographs and words
