[Aimee]

Last year Michelle fell head over heels for Stuart and made her feelings very clear and he genuinely liked her too [which she must have sensed] but didn't want to do anything in the house. This year Maxwell has fallen head over heels for Saskia and has made his feeling clear and she may or may not genuinely like him too but doesn’t want to do anything in the house.

However, last year Michelle was hated for it and this year Maxwell is respected for it.

UNFAIR!! It’s a double standard, as always. If women do it they are called 'man eating slags' but men are called 'puppy dogs.'

The relationship has yet to go through all the emotions that Michelle and Stuart’s did I am wondering if his ‘love’ will last? [After all he liked Sam for the first week].

Now don’t get me wrong, I like them both but last year I found I was always standing up for Michelle and Stuart so wanted to discuss the parallels with you lot.

What do you all think about the similarity?

[InTheHood]

I actually thought this (As a Male)

But got told 'no' by a load of females

[Nikkos]

michelle was ace! ow dare you compare maxwell or whatever his name is to him lol

[Aimee]

I think Michelle was ace too. I merely compare because a comparison can be made due to the situations, not the personalities and wished to see what you all think.

I like Maxwell too but nowhere near as much as I liked Michelle at this time last year.

[Dan_]

Nah Michelle was a bunny boiler, she controlled Stuart like a little puppet whereas Maxwell has hardly controlled Saskia.

[Kaz]

Interesting, Aimee!

To start with last year, I have to confess I didn't think Stuart was as keen on Michelle as she was on him ...... as the series progressed, it became obvious that he was and they're still together today.

Maxwell is definitely far keener on Saskia than she is on him at the moment .......... and I really can't see that changing. I honestly don't think she would give him the time of day if they weren't in the BB House and it suited her game plan to string him along, and keep him and Anthony 'sweet'. However, I could well be proved wrong (again!) ........ only time will tell!

[tigerbeer]

Maxwell is a 'Sniffer Dog' , he pants after her with tongue hanging out .He gets all shirty when anyone gets too near so maybe he is half 'guard dog'

If Max showed as much attention to a woman at work he would be branded a SEX PEST

[Red Moon]

Saskia's body language can't lie.

She is sitting on the sofa next to Maxwell, arms folded and legs crossed facing away from Maxwell.

[hellohello]

this year sas is being hated for it
rather like mishell

[chilledbootz]

What a fantastic post Aimee

I completely agree with everything you said. I thought Mich and Stu's romance was really sweet.
However if you watched just the lowlight shows you would think it was a completely different couple!!!!!!!! Her editing was awful!!!

Max following Saskia around all day, actually makes me feel really uncomfortable. He's getting nothing back from her and I think she's teasing him

I actually think that Max could be a fantastic housemate, but IMO he needs to distance himself (maybes just a little) from Saskia.

[Ruth]

Good post Aimee, although I don't actually think people respect Max for the way he is with Saskia. I know what you mean about Michelle though - I think she had some bad editing last year.

[Milo]

Maxwell and Saskia are only pals,Craig was asking Max about him and Saskia.

[qximn8]

You're totally right Aimee about the double standards but unfortunately its mainly women who are responsible for the situation and things will never change whilst women insist on sticking their heads in the sand and pretending its not their fault.

The reality though, is that women are the first ones to complain when about the slag/stud double standards that exist today, but as soon as a women behaves in a sexual manner, eg. Michelle, how do they respond? Do they say 'Yeah, good on Michelle for doing her bit for equal rights?' or do they respond by saying 'Ee, did you see that Michelle on Big Brother getting jiggy with Stu. Tut, tut. She's gone right down in my estimation, the slag.'

Unfortunately ninety percent of women respond with negative comments and this year Sam was another victim of women's self-inflicted double standards. At first women tried to pretend that they disliked Sam because she wasn't a very nice person. Then after a few weeks in the house it became more and more obvious that this wasn't true so then they amended their opinion to 'She's boring and contributes nothing to the house,' which is true but that wasn't why women disliked her. Only a small percentage of women will actually admit that the real reason they dislike Sam is cos she wars skimpy clothes and is honest about the fact that she is horny.

Not all women are like this of course, and good on you Aimee for sticking up for Michelle last year. Unfortunately though, they're aren't enough women like you and most are far too quick to perpetuate the double standards that exist in society today.

[Ruth]

I definitely agree about the whole situation with Michelle. I liked her, but it was quite obvious that she was being edited to look like some kind of bunny boiler. But her and Stuart's romance looked really genuine, and it obviously was, as they are still together.

Regarding Sam, I wasn't over keen on her to be honest at the beginning, but I ended up feeling sorry for her. It was nothing to do with the fact that she was pretty or wore bikinis or whatever, or went on about feeling horny. There are far worse character traits in that house than those. I think the reason that people (certainly me) didn't like her was because it did seem to me that every time the attention was on one of the other girls, Sam didn't like it. Also, she used her sexuality as a substitute for getting to know people or talk to people (I have said elsewhere that the lapdance for Anthony demonstrated to me her inability to interact with people) and this could make her seem manipulative. However, I think that she is actually very insecure, and the reason why she walked around in bikinis and came across as very sexual is because she is desperate for admiration (no doubt she is usually admired for the way she looks, because she is a very pretty girl), which boosts her self esteem. I would have liked to have sat down with Sam and told her that there was no need to try so hard, because if people could get to know the real her, rather than just seeing her as a girl who parades around in next to nothing and talks about sex all the time (and you can't blame people for only seeing that), people would definitely like her. Also people didn't like her for her laugh, which really is a daft reason (especially as it's not half as annoying as Mokosi or Craigs)!, but I think it was because the laugh sounded false sometimes. I actually think it's a nervous laugh, and she may not even realise she's doing it sometimes.

I do think she'll be happier now she's out of the house anyway.

[Kore]

im finding the relationship between anthony craig and maxwell, hilarious!!

[qximn8]

rather than just seeing her as a girl who parades around in next to nothing and talks about sex all the time (and you can't blame people for only seeing that)

I don't blame people for seeing Sam's fondness for talking about sex and wearing skimpy clothes. What I blame them for is regarding this as a valid reason to dislike someone.

If a man talked about sex all the time then other men would be all 'good on him.' But when a women is open about the fact that she likes sex, women see this as a legitimate reason not to like her.

Fair enough, if that's the rules women want to follow then good on them, but my argument is that you can't then turn around and whinge about double standards when its women's attitudes that have created the double standards in the first place.

It's the equivalent of complaining to the council about all the dog crap on the pavement and then taking your dog for a walk and letting it crap on the pavement.

[Aimee]

Thank you all for you nice comment on my post and it is nice to see a lot of us agree on this.

I agree that it is often women who are the meanest about other women though men do it too in a more, shall we say 'Carry On' or 'Monty Python' type of way.... phwwwwwoooooorrrrr!! Nudge nudge!! then call her names.

[Azzy]

Originally posted by Aimee
Last year Michelle fell head over heels for Stuart and made her feelings very clear and he genuinely liked her too [which she must have sensed] but didn't want to do anything in the house. This year Maxwell has fallen head over heels for Saskia and has made his feeling clear and she may or may not genuinely like him too but doesn’t want to do anything in the house.

However, last year Michelle was hated for it and this year Maxwell is respected for it.

UNFAIR!! It’s a double standard, as always. If women do it they are called 'man eating slags' but men are called 'puppy dogs.'

The relationship has yet to go through all the emotions that Michelle and Stuart’s did I am wondering if his ‘love’ will last? [After all he liked Sam for the first week].

Now don’t get me wrong, I like them both but last year I found I was always standing up for Michelle and Stuart so wanted to discuss the parallels with you lot.

What do you all think about the similarity?

Sorry Aimee , but Maxwell's about as far away from being Michelle as anyone could be .... the only simularity is they're both in love with a housemate with girly hair and their both sh*t-loads uglier than the person they're trying to crack off with .
Mind you I suppose if Maxwell did impressions of Anthony , wore a long brown haired wig and said "chicken" a lot ; he'd pass as Michelle .

[Aimee]

I'm not meaning to compare the people. I'm comparing their situations and the double standard it highlights.

Maxwell staring at Saskia gets called puppy dog but Michelle staring at Stuart got called bunny boiler. I think that's totally unfair.

[hass]

yer their situations are the same, chasing around people that dont really feel the same way about them lol. i think they are more friends though, but i think maxwell wud want more, i think she just finds him funny

[Azzy]

I think you're both right actually .

Although there's no doubt Saskia thinks the world of Max , I don't think she's interested in a love affair with him (or even a casual fling) . I think she just see's him as a great friend . I mean Sask is kind of a "ladette" how she talks , dresses and burps .....

The situation was simular with Stu and Michelle , except Stuart really did like her to start with but then she got a bit too possessive and he almost fainted when she came back in from the bedsit .

Mind you I've heard they're still together so....

[Z]

I agree with all that's been said...

Anyone else notice how Michelle and Saskia look pretty similar, give or take a couple of pounds?!

Maxwell well grow on Saskia, even if she is playing a game... He's a nice guy, but if he tries to control her, then he's got no chance!

[chilledbootz]

Originally posted by Azzy
he almost fainted when she came back in from the bedsit .

You mean when he pinned her up against the diary room door and snogged her face off?
Yeah he was really upset that night!

Mind you I've heard they're still together so....

Yup they are

[qximn8]

I agree that it is often women who are the meanest about other women though men do it too in a more, shall we say 'Carry On' or 'Monty Python' type of way.... phwwwwwoooooorrrrr!! Nudge nudge!! then call her names.

That's an accurate observation but although men can frequently be really childish in our methods of expressing our attraction to a women, it doesn't necessarily mean that any malice is attached to the comments.

For example, when women make similar 'nudge nudge' comments about a man, the man will generally take it as a compliment and feel chuffed that he is the object of a woman's desire.

Women are perfectly entitled to get annoyed at men's childishness though (but I'm straying into a different subject now).

[Ruth]

Originally posted by qximn8

I don't blame people for seeing Sam's fondness for talking about sex and wearing skimpy clothes. What I blame them for is regarding this as a valid reason to dislike someone.

If a man talked about sex all the time then other men would be all 'good on him.' But when a women is open about the fact that she likes sex, women see this as a legitimate reason not to like her.

Fair enough, if that's the rules women want to follow then good on them, but my argument is that you can't then turn around and whinge about double standards when its women's attitudes that have created the double standards in the first place.

It's the equivalent of complaining to the council about all the dog c**p on the pavement and then taking your dog for a walk and letting it c**p on the pavement.

The point I was making was that although I wasn't overly fond of Sam, it was nothing to do with the fact that she wore bikinis and talked about sex. What put me off her was that I felt she was quite false and manipulative (although not half as much as Saskia is). I agree, it's not fair for people to knock Sam for the way she dresses or talks, but it's also not fair to assume that if women don't like Sam, then it must be because of that.

Stuart obviously really did like Michelle last year, but the editing made it look as though she was chasing him and he wasn't happy about it. However, I think there is a world of difference between that situation and the Max/Saskia situation. Max does paw and Saskia and ought to learn to leave her alone, but part of the reason he doesn't is that he's not clever enough to figure out her game. She subtly rejects him, but then plays up to him, to keep him on side. I don't think the behaviour of either of them is worthy of respect.