| Dear Carolyn: My partner spends around $400 per month on expensive facial and body products. We’re talking about $70 for a 2.5-ounce bottle of this kind of oil, cleanser, etc. Obviously there are people who can afford these products and buy them regularly. There are also people who can afford these products but choose to buy less-expensive products. And there are people who cannot afford these products but buy them anyway. We fall into the last category. The two or three times I’ve brought it up, my partner rejoins with comments about the pressures on women to look a certain way and about the objectification of women. To be sure, she’s correct. And I’m in no position to really understand what it feels like to be a woman in our society. But still, that’s a lot of money. On top of not being able to afford this kind of luxury, it doesn’t seem right that she has effectively marked this issue as off-limits. It’s about her as a woman, so I have no say in the matter. Meanwhile, I buy one pair of a fast-fashion-brand jeans and wear the hell out of them. A fraction of her skin care expenses could instead go to a vacation for us and our two young kids, something we don’t do for lack of money. I need a new approach. What do you suggest? — No Say | 
