Anne Fougedoire Ferrez
It may be tough for you to think of your dude's dwelling as anything more than a showplace for his autographed sports memorabilia. But ladies, don't assume you can walk in and take over just because of his low-key attitude. A man's home is his castle. So beware of these four faux pas in his pad.
Claiming Closet Space
It's okay to stash emergency tampons in your man's medicine cabinet. But if you start staking out his closet, he'll feel like it's a full-scale space invasion. Take it from Reggie,* 29: "The commute to my girl's office is easier for her from my apartment, so she started staying over during the week," he explains. "The arrangement was cool until she began to keep more and more stuff at my place. Before I knew it, her dry cleaning was taking up half my closet. I said she could leave a few things, not move in!"
It's okay to stash emergency tampons in your man's medicine cabinet. But if you start staking out his closet, he'll feel like it's a full-scale space invasion. Take it from Reggie,* 29: "The commute to my girl's office is easier for her from my apartment, so she started staying over during the week," he explains. "The arrangement was cool until she began to keep more and more stuff at my place. Before I knew it, her dry cleaning was taking up half my closet. I said she could leave a few things, not move in!"
Cleaning House
There's nothing wrong with a lady's touch on the domestic front. Hell, no guy wants to live in a pigsty. But make his bed, empty the dishwasher, and fold his laundry and you may begin to remind him of Mom. Just ask Alessandro, 31: "I dated a girl who straightened my apartment every time she came over," he says. "The day she headed toward my bedroom with a vacuum and dust rag, I had flashbacks of my mother pulling my porn stash from underneath my unmade bed when I was 15. Not a good visual!" Cleaning caveat: If you make the mess, by all means, tidy up (French-maid costume is entirely optional).
There's nothing wrong with a lady's touch on the domestic front. Hell, no guy wants to live in a pigsty. But make his bed, empty the dishwasher, and fold his laundry and you may begin to remind him of Mom. Just ask Alessandro, 31: "I dated a girl who straightened my apartment every time she came over," he says. "The day she headed toward my bedroom with a vacuum and dust rag, I had flashbacks of my mother pulling my porn stash from underneath my unmade bed when I was 15. Not a good visual!" Cleaning caveat: If you make the mess, by all means, tidy up (French-maid costume is entirely optional).
Touching His Toiletries
Watching contestants devour cow eyeballs on Fear Factor may not gross him out, but having you use his toothbrush? Nasty! "I'm sorry, but there's nothing sexy about swapping plaque," rants Paul, 28. Simon, 27, has another pet peeve: "My ex used to shave her legs with my razor," he says. "It dulled the blade, and I'd nick my face." Other no-nos: Swigging his mouthwash from the bottle, using his nail clippers to cut the tags off a new shirt, leaving hair in his comb...on the soap...in the shower drain.
Watching contestants devour cow eyeballs on Fear Factor may not gross him out, but having you use his toothbrush? Nasty! "I'm sorry, but there's nothing sexy about swapping plaque," rants Paul, 28. Simon, 27, has another pet peeve: "My ex used to shave her legs with my razor," he says. "It dulled the blade, and I'd nick my face." Other no-nos: Swigging his mouthwash from the bottle, using his nail clippers to cut the tags off a new shirt, leaving hair in his comb...on the soap...in the shower drain.
Ruling the Remote
Guys are more than willing to hand over the reins when it comes to many things. For instance, feel free to take control in the sack. But c'mon, don't seize the remote and subject us to America's Next Top Model. "I need to control the clicker," admits Clyde, 26. "My feeling is that if you let a girl dictate what you watch on television, the next thing you know, she'll be choosing your outfits and trying to talk you into window treatments."
Guys are more than willing to hand over the reins when it comes to many things. For instance, feel free to take control in the sack. But c'mon, don't seize the remote and subject us to America's Next Top Model. "I need to control the clicker," admits Clyde, 26. "My feeling is that if you let a girl dictate what you watch on television, the next thing you know, she'll be choosing your outfits and trying to talk you into window treatments."
