Woman, advice & evening wear. Didn't know there was a connection.

Came across this quote in yesterday's edition of the Deccan Chronicle (DC).
“Don't give a woman advice. One should never give a woman anything she can't wear in the evening”. - Oscar Wilde.

The moment I read this quote, I was reminded of a friend (a woman, ofcourse) who would always respond with, "Did I ask you for free advice?" whenever I happened to give her any advice / suggestion about an issue or problem she was facing.

Initially I would find it odd that on one hand she is telling me about an issue that she is facing, but when I am trying to help her by suggesting a solution, she responds that she doesn't need advice. If someone asks me about anything I have adequate information or experience about,
I am only glad to offer them the best advice on it. And similarly, if I have no knowledge about something, I have no qualms asking people experienced in it for their expert opinion.

Ofcourse, like most men, it took me also some time to understand that when women tell you about an issue or problem they are having, they are not necessarily doing that because they want you to offer them a solution for the problem. Just that they want someone to listen to
their troubles & offer them some sympathy. Basically they are looking for a shoulder to lean
on and cry their heart out.

While knowing the above facet of female personality cleared most of my confusion as to why
my female friend was talking the way she did, there still remained a small part of this 'woman' behaviour which was beyond my understanding. Oscar Wilde seems to have clarified it for me through the pages of the DC. Thanks, Sir.

So the next time a woman tells me about her problem(s), I now know better than to offer her any silly advice about how to overcome the problem. Instead, I should listen sympathetically,
with the appropriate number of "Oh, you poor thing" or "I can feel your pain, girl" etc. etc. thrown into the conversation every now and then and maybe finally have a nice ending to the conversation by saying :

"Hey, OK, why don't we forget for some time this problem that you are facing and instead
let me take you shopping and get you a nice designer saree that you have been eyeing for sometime now ? And you know what, we could follow it up with a quiet candle-lit dinner
at a fancy restaurant so that you get to wear it this very evening itself. Does this make
you feel atleast a wee bit better ?"

While it sounds nice to me, the only flaw I see here and which Mr.Wilde didn't maybe have to
worry about is that my wife would not be very happy seeing me follow his advice literally. :-)