I must confess that no matter how hard I try, I have yet to read almost any book in Russian. But I do read a newspaper in Russian, and regularly. Namely the Metro newspaper, which is distributed free of charge in the Moscow metro. Of course, Metro cannot be considered as intellectual reading, but all articles are short and written in simple language - just enough for foreigners struggling in the thorns of Russian to master it properly.

Sharing letters about Russian girls


Recently I read an article in the newspaper, in which they quote negative impressions of Russia and Russians expressed by foreign tourists. Thus, the number one criticism was that Muscovites would dress badly, not according to fashion. I was very surprised. Russians dress badly? I have my own complaints about Russia, from corruption to attitudes towards certain members of society, but it would never occur to me to accuse Muscovites of not being able to dress properly. And this is especially true for Russian women. They pay a lot of attention to their appearance, much more than in Western Europe.

When I arrived in Russia, I was immediately struck by the number of beautiful women in the metro - dressed as if they were going to a party. Although they can hardly get there at 9 o'clock in the morning. Lacquered high-heeled shoes, full make-up on all faces from the age of 14, flashy outfits. Maybe everyone in that subway car is going to a wedding, I hypothesized.

Like any girl, I also like to dress up, but we in Britain only make such efforts to dress up for special celebrations. Dressing for a party is so interesting precisely because it doesn't happen every day. And to spend an hour a day on the morning toilet, I just don't have enough time. Also, I don't have a lot of nice clothes. And if I wear them every day, they quickly lose their presentable appearance.

Imagine even what percentage of your budget the average Russian 20-40 year old spends on his wardrobe. Quality clothes are not cheap in Russia, and poor quality clothes are almost as expensive. And in general, Russian women are naturally beautiful and keep their slim waist and attractiveness for a long time. They may well afford to rest on their laurels and pay less attention to their appearance.

So why do they work so hard to look their best? Do they willingly give so much time and money to boutiques and beauty salons? Maybe it's because everyone looks glamorous - you have to compete for men's attention with the crowd of other beauties like you? Or maybe it's just a way to self-actualize - through high heels and cleavage? Either way, I doubt that feminism will win in Russia anytime soon. As soon as I go out on the street with my sneakers on, I immediately catch the compassionate, even sarcastic looks of Moscow girls.

I never cease to be amazed by this typical image of Moscow: an ordinary man with a belly leading a pretty girl under his arm, as if she had just come down from the podium. It seems to me that Russians are spoiled by their girlfriends - by their excessive efforts to put on make-up. Russian men expect that even at home, after a hard day's work, a woman will look impeccable. My Russian boyfriend has always made it clear to me that I don't always wear makeup for him. Why should I pretend? He already knows what I look like without layers of makeup and fancy clothes. And anyway, I had better things to do than to worry about my own appearance.

 

Your Letters are quite surprising :

 

In Russia, men fight and girls confuse what it is to dress up and what it is to disguise (one can disguise a Christmas tree on New Year's Eve). Bravo Raya...

Raya, let me correct: it is "what I imagine PERSONALLY without layers of make-up and fancy clothes". Although you are already more literate than half of your commentators :) :-)Something that foreigners often pay attention to when they look at our women. This is what they look like, what can you do? So they position themselves in any situation as a woman and, apparently, they can't do without it. They establish a hierarchy of success accordingly. Who looks neat, richer, brighter (which can make an impression, to influence men), she's good and can look down on those who don't reach her. What is incomprehensible here? Really, for me too, all this is strange, even though I've been living here forever. 

Russian women are beautiful, intelligent and cheerful. In this, they are similar to women from other countries. And their main difference is beauty, intelligence and cheerfulness. Voronezh, Voronezh, Russia.

I would like to ask men who want to see beautiful, elegant women near them: why don't you want to take care of yourself and dress appropriately? After all, we women also want to see a decent man by your side. And in general, no one owes anything to anyone 

... Half of them drink, so they are good for nothing, and for the rest there is a real hunt ... Elena, Russia

So that's it. No more and no less - a real organized hunt! Shooting with heels and stilettos ... :)

Our women like to dress beautifully and in style, and I am very happy about that. I see nothing wrong with that. A woman wants to be beautiful not only to attract the attention of men, but also for herself. If she looks good, the mood seems to improve all around her. So, dress well, have style, it's good for all of us. Alexey, Moscow

Raya, you have touched on a very serious subject without wishing to. The desire of women to attract men to our country is caused by a catastrophic shortage of men. Half of them drink and are useless, while the others are hunted down. This is why they are terribly spoiled and infantile. This is the lot of Russian women. Elena, Russia

"Then why do they still try so hard to be at their best?" You can find the answer to this question in the history of our country. Ask yourself how many men (fathers, husbands, sons) our women lost in the wars of the 20th century. The competition has gotten used to taking care of itself to be better than the others. And not only in appearance. And that, gentlemen, is very spoiled. Have you noticed? Gennady BUROV, Moscow.

In developed countries, decent women hardly ever take the metro and mostly use private cars. This explains the abundance of beautiful women in Moscow. In general, more beautiful women come to Moscow than the average in the country. Yevgeny, Latvia, Riga

I am Russian, my husband is American, we live in Russia, when we come to the United States, parents, friends and acquaintances cover me with compliments... it would be nice if they find me so beautiful in Russia :))tatiana , moscow 

Raya, not all Russian women have the same opinion about fashion, men and life in general. Respect, prestige through clothes and all other external elements that are supposed to count in the relationship between a man and a woman are just that, dust. As the hero of a comedy film said, "for a man to notice a woman, all it takes is for her to show up and that's it". It doesn't really matter what she "appears" in. A man is interested in a woman's clothes just as a little boy is interested in a candy wrapper.

Yes, you are 1 in 1 what all foreign women say about Moscow girls:))) That they are all so smart that they walk around the metro in evening dresses with high heels shoes:))) Alexei, Moscow

I love my wife without jewelry and makeup. In sneakers, T-shirt and simple pants. But for some reason she doesn't like it, and all the time she tries to look even more beautiful by dressing and putting on makeup in all sorts of ways. It's hard for me to understand, it seems like she's trying to please other men, even though she says she doesn't need anyone else but me. Mikhail,

 

Russian women sometimes don't know where they can go after school or work, maybe to the cinema or to a café with a friend. And European women have "memo wok", where everything is planned several months or even a year in advance, which shows that they are busy. Marfa, Stourport-on-severn.

I should have added that just as Russian men are spoiled by their wives, Western women (especially in North America) are spoiled by their men. We see an image all the time: a handsome, athletic man walking hand in hand with a disgusting girl. Petya, Toronto

Dear Raya! Mimics on the arm with fat men is a typically Western experience adopted by Russians. The rich simply buy themselves beautiful girlfriends. Brilikami, cars and others. They've seen too many Hollywood movies about millionaires: the uglier the millionaire, the more ugly the girlfriend. Real beauties and real Russian knights do not live in Moscow, but in the hinterland, like in Siberia. If you go to Novosibirsk or Krasnoyarsk, you will see real life and real people with real connections.

It is a feeling I have after reading the second blog that the text is not written by the person who is represented.

The pretty, elegant girl from IMHO in a pretty blouse with a feminine hairstyle can not write "And usually I have more important things to worry about than their own appearance. Dmitry, Moscow

Raya, interesting observation. In general, I agree with Anatoly, but I think it's not just a question of money. As my experience of relationships with girls from different countries shows, most girls do not react to a man's beauty, but to other qualities: self-confidence, sense of humor, ability to take care of himself and a girl.

Of course, this does not exempt men from washing, cutting their hair, using deodorant, brushing their teeth and looking at themselves in the mirror !Mikhail, 

Raya, it's just that there hasn't been an inquisition in Russia, whereas in Europe there has been one (thought Mr. Zadornov). And I completely agree with him. Dmitry, Tomsk, Russia

The author writes beautifully with humor. The fulfillment of the majority is a struggle for scarce male resources, to be close to the intellectual and dignified, the main thing is not to exaggerate with feminism. In Russia, men are spoiled.

I live in the West, I will speak on behalf of the West. I live in the West and I will say the opposite: chubby Australians with white teeth are accompanied by chubby girls in incomprehensible rags. That is to say that the female sex is pampered here, it seems, and in the whole West.

Even when knitwear was scarce, my wife sewed ultra-modern avant-garde things using burlap (that kind of cheap potato-based fabric). Dima R, Russia

It seems to me that the only asset of Russian (not Moscow) women is to keep or find a job, especially if you are over 30 years old. Russian men like to surround themselves with beautiful women, this confirms their status. Nataniella, Rostov-on-Don, Russia

Raya, that you excite our audience so much ... I want to defend you. You have everything in your language and you see things as they are. Of course, there is no simple answer to your question - there is competition, and tradition, and "dressing the part" ... Another interesting point is economic instability. You need less money for clothes than for your own house, which few people own. Moreover, saving money in Russia is a lost cause. Until the next coup, dekulakization or devaluation . So if we have money, we can celebrate today! :) Andrey, USA

 

In our country, women have been "comrades" and "women" for so many years that they only want to be women. And I, as a man, can only rejoice in this. GN, Russia

By the measured waste of money on the appearance and accessories of wealth is the effect of a poor country. Same story with the black population in America. Dima, usa

Clothes often speak for a person. In the West, if a girl comes to work dressed elegantly, it is perceived as - she has a lot of free time, she is not interested in work and does not want to be valued and seen as the equal of men. I think Russia will reach the same level as the West, because traditionally, since the end of World War II, there are fewer boys/men and more men in leadership positions. With time, the situation will stabilize and women will start to dress comfortably rather than glamorously. Anton, USA macos/deepLFree.translatedWithDeepL.text

I am a Russian from Riga and I know your situation very well. I lived in Moscow for 10 years and when I came back people did not recognize me. They didn't recognize me when I came back and they took me for a lout. But I will be honest, I feel very comfortable (after Moscow) in the London subway. Fedor Latvia

Raya, when you invite guests, don't you clean the house and buy/kitchen all kinds of treats? It's the same with a boyfriend. The fact that you don't decorate for his arrival is a sign of disrespect, lack of interest and generally speaking, you "take him for granted". And he wants to feel that he is something special to you. So it's not about how you look, it's about how you want to look best for him. Girls on the street do essentially the same thing, but for everyone around them, like a person whose house is always clean and who has good food. Elisaveta, US

I was married to an American, a Russian, a Korean, a Georgian. Russians may be the most spectacular, but they are also the most cruel, selfish and heartless; this is my experience and my opinion ... Sigizmund, Chicago

Raya, you're right, it's better to have a well-groomed man walking arm in arm with a girl with a full belly, without make-up and in sneakers. Dima, Ukraine, Dnepropetrovsk.

Russian women are always on the hunt and always argue in the most primitive way for the right to own this type of woman with a belly, and above all, with a wallet. Marina.

Moscow is not the whole of Russia, you should not draw conclusions about the whole country by judging only one city. And we have more beautiful girls, and that's good. And if someone reprimands you for not wearing makeup, I don't think that person likes you very much. Andrey

There are normal girls in Russia. They study in the right profession, they go to work in jeans and sneakers, they don't think about fancy clothes but about more interesting things. You just didn't notice them in the subway car. Unfortunately, men often don't notice them either.

Our girls dress in bright, modern, expensive but mostly in bad taste. In Europe, in my opinion, they dress in a more varied and tasteful way. I am not even talking about meeting a 15 year old European girl wearing high heels and manicured nails. Here I am siding with Raya and European moderation and individuality, and against the Russian herd mentality, which has been prevalent since antiquity and is not only about fashion and style of dress. Eugene, Krasnodar

I liked the material. Very interesting and sincerely written. I did not like the "comments", some feel hostility. I am glad that Raya likes to live and work in Moscow. I would like to wish her new and good impressions of Russia and, of course, new acquaintances. Alexander, USA .