IS IT LIPSTICK or gossip? Chocolates or shopping? Jewellery or shoes? There are zillions of things women can’t do without. But documenting them —you’d agree —would require an encyclopedia. Not to mention the patience of Job. But here, unfortunately, we only have time, space — and patience —for an article. So here goes:

1 Clothes

There’s nothing quite like a natty piece of clothing to spike a woman’s adrenaline. It needn’t be too expensive of course. Smart street wear will do. But there’s no denying that branded ones (think Versace, Dior, Chanel) can put an entirely different spin on proceedings.

Women’s fashion has been greatly influenced by cinema too. Can anybody forget sultry Marilyn Munroe’s billowy red dress? Or Madonna’s sassy deportment in her earlier films (Shanghai Surprise/Desperately Seeking Susan)?

What about model/actor Elizabeth Hurley’s safety pin dress that she wore for the premiere of “Four Weddings and A Funeral”? The garment torpedoed her straight into the big league and interestingly, has just topped a recent poll of “The Greatest Red Carpet Gowns of All Time”.

2 Jewellery

Women and jewellery are synonymous. Think of the world’s most stunning  women and it’s tough to visualize their gorgeous good looks sans jewellery.

They may be in any form – handcrafted neckpieces, bracelets, teardrop earrings, studs, watches, you name it — but women simply lurrv to flaunt their precious jewels.

It’s not for nothing that the global jewellery empire is one helluva lucrative enterprise, involving billions of dollars.

3 Shopping

Shopping and women. Now that’s a combo made in heaven. After all, there is so much to shop in this world engulfed by malls, supermarkets, night bazaars and ‘sales’.

From clothes to fashion accessories to shoes, handbags, furnishings, kids’ stuffÖthere’s temptation aplenty. So how can you blame the poor women for it?

But an abundance of shopping opportunities doesn’t mean that women are always extravagant. Most ladies are in fact very smart shoppers and bargain hard before clinching a deal. So who can fault this double whammy — great shopping plus a bargain?

4 Networking/Gossip

Gossip makes the world go round. But a woman’s world would screech to a standstill if she doesn’t gossÖ. No let’s call it “networking”. After all, it’s her way of staying connected with the world at large — in office, with neighbours, spouse’s colleagues, in-laws, her kids’ friends etc.

Women, experts acknowledge, are great communicators (sorry to say, but often better than men!). And there’s no doubting this ‘soft skill’ which helps them forge new relationships and nurture old ones.

5 TLC (Tender Love & Care)

Women may survive without food but not without love! Indeed love is a woman’s survival kit. It may come in any form, from wherever — a pat on the shoulder from hubby, a tight hug by the kids thanking mom for rustling up great food, compliments from in-laws, warmth from friendsÖthese intangibles are far more valuable to her than the world’s glitziest jewels.

6 Compliments

No matter how independent, confident, self-sustaining she may be, there’s no woman who doesn’t like a good, genuine compliment. And mind you, we’re not talking of insincere flattery here.

Most women are sharp enough to smell that hypocrisy from a mile. But sincere comments that tug at her heart. Samples — “Your cooking tastes out of this world!” or  “You have the most beautiful eyes!" or “You’ve done a great job of raising your kids”.

7 Shoes

Show me a woman who doesn’t own an array of nattily crafted shoes and I’ll show you somebody who’s economical with truth.

Of course, one doesn’t have to be an Imelda Marcos and own truckloads. But most women are great bargain hunters for shoes (some graduate as ‘hoarders’ too).

And mind you, women often judge men too by their footwear. For instance, black brogues — conservative bloke, sharp pointy shoes —unconventional; unpolished shoes – outright rejection material etc, etc.

So if you’re out to impress women, better pull up your socks on the shoes front.

8 Chocolates

When thinking up gifts for women, chocolates never fail. Dark, rich and silky or crunchy-nutty, there’s nothing quite like this cocoa delight to please a woman.

And now, with an increasing body of scientific evidence which suggests that chocolates are good for the heart and are great mood boosters too — releasing endorphins pretty much like exercise — their ratings have ratcheted amongst the ladies.

So go ahead. Buy that Ferraro Rocher, Godiva, Toblerone — whatever — and gift it to your lady with love.

9 Lipstick

Ever had the chance to peep into a woman’s handbag? Okay, so it’s a jungle out there. But that’s not the point. Point is, apart from the mandatory house keys, mirror, cell phone and address book, every woman’s bag will always contain a lipstick or two. Or three.

One light shade (for daytime wear) and the other a rich dark one (for the evening). Some may even have a built in light and mirror for nighttime viewing.

And what about lipsticks on a woman’s dressing table? Don’t even ask. Zillions and zillions in all hues, flavours, fragrances, brands'

10 Handbag

Bags have assumed, some might say a disproportionate amount, of importance in a woman’s wardrobe these days. Well why not? Simply because each occasion merits a different one. You can’t carry an office bag to the evening party now, can you? (unless you’re hopelessly fashion illiterate). Or the girlie gang bag to a designer lunch?

Needless to say, the global handbag industry has evolved into one helluva profitable venture these days — recession or no recession — with women toting a different bag for all times, seasons, occasions, budgets, deportments...

11 Spa

A simple massage — in olden times — would’ve rubbed women the right way. Some heated oil, old-fashioned pummeling and you’re done.

No longer. The contemporary spa industry with its mind-boggling array of specialised services has created an insatiable demand for bodily services.

Indeed, there’s no such thing as a simple rubdown any more. Only a confounding raft of scrubs, treatments, massages, baths, exfoliations, detoxes and treatments aimed at inducing nirvana.

The massage is indeed the message here.

12 Perfumes

Women and perfumes go together. The branded ones, especially, never fail to work their charm on women as gifts either.

Small wonder, at airport Duty Free shops, you’ll invariably see more women (than men) spending their waiting hours at the perfume stores trying one fragrance after another.

Cashing in on the cologne craze, many celebrities — Posh Spice, Liz Hurley, Elizabeth Taylor, David Beckham, to name a few — have jumped onto the perfume brandwagon. And in the process, managed to whiff the sweet smell of success!

13 Hair Pampering

Poets down the ages have gone into raptures over women’s crowning glory. And it’s not for nothing that hair has spawned a lucrative industry worth billions of dollars.

After all, which woman doesn’t love to pamper her hair? From special shampoos to hair accessories and jewels to hair dyes, hair spas and salons, oodles of effort goes into keeping women’s hair beautiful.

14 Television

Do you think television advertisement rates would be as stratospheric as they currently are if it wasn’t for the lucrative demographic of women?

TV lovers can’t get enough of this J. L. Baird invention some call the idiot box? So it wouldn’t be hyperbolic to state that it’s women who make the television producers’ world go round. Just name a programme — Friends, Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives, Nigella’s cookery show — and you’ll find a sizeable chunk of women addicted to one slot or the other. 

15 Men

Ah, here’s the contentious one. No matter how much they may quibble with them, hate them or curse them, women simply can’t do without men.

After all, men do have their uses — changing light bulbs, fixing a plug, replacing flat car tires, plumbing, taking the kids out for beach ball, the occasional cookingÖ!

Men indeed can be put to great use.

16 Diets

They my not always admit it, but most women have been on some kind of diet or the other in their lifetime. Atkins, South Beach, low-carb, hi-protein, you name it.

Women and diets go together. After all, natural aesthetes that they are, they do have to maintain their figures to look good, don’t they?

Of course there are women who believe diet sensibly by following a savvy diet plan — low fat/low carb/low sugar. But there are others too who take things to the extreme and end up with problems like anorexia nervosa and bulimia.     

17 Talking

Call it chatting, jiving, gabbing or what have you, but women simply love to talk. And how. Be it over the phone, in office, queues, inside planes, outside, wherever. It’s our lifeline.

It may be cathartic (with girlie friends), instructive (with kids), belligerent (spouse) or whatever, but talk we must.

While it is well-known that men like to bottle up their feelings (call it social conditioning, if you must) women are far more expressive with words. And are — me thinks — so much the better for it!

18 Sunglasses

Poets and lyricists have gone into raptures over the magnetism of a woman’s eyes. Indeed, to protect — and enhance — the eyes’ beauty further, what better tool than fashionable sunglasses?

From the economically pieced street variety to expensive branded ones, this chic accessory is a mandatory one for all sophisticated women.

19 Crying

Every woman loves a good cry once in a while. They may not admit it openly, but that’s a fact. The reason may range from the inconsequential (kids talking back) to serious (a relationship break-up), but the cathartic outpouring leaves them clearheaded to carry on with life.

A healthy way to tackle stress, one must say. In fact, even research suggests that rather than clog negative feelings, it’s far healthier to flush them out of one’s system. And if the cleansing happens through the tear ducts, well, so be it!

20 Friends

It could be a confidant, a girlie gang, mother or colleagues, women simply can’t do without the oxygen of their friends.

Emotional beings that they are, they have to share their lives (sad or happy), experiences and anecdotes with their near and dear ones. And really, who can deny the power of true friendship? Like they say, friends can multiply your happiness, divide your sorrows, add to your life and subtract years from your age. And nobody believes in this adage better than women!