by Krystle Hernandez

Created on: February 10, 2009

There are six words that men hate to hear more than anything else in life: "We just lost the big game." However, other than that horrific phrase, there is a second set of five words that men across the world despise: "Does this make me look fat?" That's right, almost all women say it, and most men who hear it hate it. It is one of those few phrases in life that simply turns out to be a lose-lose situation.

How could such a simple question have such detrimental consequences? Well, let's take a look at all the possible outcomes. Whether your girlfriend or wife is a size two or a size sixteen, if she is asking whether she looks fat, chances are, she probably thinks she does. If she really is on the hefty side and you say she does look fat, she will think that you are flat out insensitive. If you opt for a little white lie and tell her that she doesn't look fat, she will think you are a liar. In other words, whether you lie or tell the truth, you are ultimately caught up in a bad situation where you turn out to be the bad guy. So, how can you avoid this conflict?

If she is slim, chances are that whatever she wears won't make her look fat. However, if some article of clothing is particularly unflattering, she may feel that it does make her look fat. So, if she asks you whether or not what she is wearing makes her look bigger, let her know that there is no possible way that she could look fat, considering the fact that she isn't. But, that the shirt/pants/whatever article of clothing she is complaining about doesn't look like it was well designed for anyone's body.

Attempting to answer the question of whether your girlfriend or wife looks fat or not is pretty much asking for trouble. Although men typically communicate with one another very directly, try to repress your impulse to give your wife or girlfriend a direct answer. Similarly, a simple answer such as "yes" or "no" with no explanation won't generally go over too well with a woman either. Rather than say that she looks fat in a particular shirt, say that she looks great, but that you like the color of the strappy top that she has better. Giving her another choice will direct her attention to another piece of clothing, and keep her mind off of whether or not she looks fat in whatever she is wearing when she asks you the dreaded question

That being said, every man should keep in mind that there is no written handbook that includes all of the rules men should follow when interacting with women. Each woman is a unique individual with her own set of preferences. Some women truly DO want their boyfriends and husbands to be brutally honest with them when they ask if they look like they have gained a few pouds, while others simply want the reassurance from their loved ones that they are beautiful no matter what size they are.

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