When Women are Cows

July 27, 2009

Most girls dream about their weddings when they are young; playing dress-up, marrying Barbie and Ken and even doodling wedding bells. Most boys on the other hand- don’t.

There is a saying I often hear: “Why buy the cow, when you can get the milk for free?” Now obviously this line isn’t really about any cow being bought or any free milk. It is figure-of-speech. While we can figure out that the “cow” is a symbol for a human, and the “buying of the cow” is represented for marriage, I always thought the “milk” was a depiction of sex.

However, my aunt gave me some great insight to the “milk” being other things, and this whole figure-of-speech doesn’t have to do with anything sexual at all.”Milk” Could be anything. Such as: laundry, cleaning, cooking, dishes, taking care of a child… etc. I never thought about it like that. But whatever the “cow” is doing that the other one doesn’t have to then the service is free without having to “buy” it through marriage. (Lost yet?)

Then I thought about it more. Who is this line usually said to? Who is the “cow,” the girl or the boy? Well when I catch myself saying it, it is usually directed at the girl… making her the “cow.” (Ironically enough if a guy ever called a girl a cow he would be smacked so hard his head would turn a million times.) Most of the time nevertheless, in a relationship, it is a girl who is ready for marriage when the boy isn’t. Making it seem he will never marry because… the “milk” or services (if you will) of any kind are free; therefore not having to fulfill a girl’s dream wedding with the upward cost of thousands and thousands of dollars… or even the cheapest way to shoe their undying love for one another through a cheap wedding down at the good old justice of the peace.

Of course, it is not always this way. There are good shares of boys who can easily be the “cow.” Like when the man brings home the “bacon” (a.k.a. money) and he is not married but living with his significant other and the girl doesn’t find the need to marry because he is bring home the money for free.

This whole cow thing seems to be a ritual to portray a girl too. In 2001, “Someone like You” starring Ashley Judd brought up the idea of the “New-Cow Theory.” Basically saying that men leave women and never come back because all they really want is “New Cow."

And with the fact that a man may be slapped or even get an earful for ever thinking about comparing a girl to a cow, there seem to be many lines or theories that do compare us to those spotted creatures.