Once again, Shannon Sharpe is stirring the pot with his take on dating and relationships. This time, he’s got some advice for the ladies, and his male fans are eating it up.
During the May 27 episode of “Nightcap” with Sharpe and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, the duo began their conversation discussing how much women suggest it costs to be “kept.”
“She says she needs $60 for waxing. She needs between $75 and $130 for her nails and toes. She need between $80 and $400 for her hair. She needs between $60 and $150 for facial. She need between $12 and $30 for her brows. She needs between $80 and $120 for her lashes,” Sharpe reads from a list.
He calculated that if a woman received maintenance twice a month for an entire year, based on the higher end of this scale, her boyfriend could spend around $24,000 annually and would need to have a mid-six-figure salary.
“She say, ‘Guys that $100 y’all trying to send, that ain’t good enough, sir,” the host snickers in his thick country accent.
Ocho, a self-proclaimed cheapskate, was quick to say that he would not ever pay that, using this as justification as to why he took up cosmetology classes when he was in college so that he could aptly provide these services to his lady — including waxing her private areas.
Sharpe, whose wealth and career as a professional baller has afforded him the life of a playboy, interrupted, “I ain’t got no problem with it, you know,” before acting like he was going into his pocket to find some money.
“Let me see what I got right here,” he joked about tricking.
The former Miami Dolphin asked, “You gonna pay for it?”
Sharpe crudely responded, “I’ll get that thing waxed. … I don’t want you to look like you got Buckwheat in a leglock. You know, your thing got an afro. I need you to fade it up. Trim it up.”
Ochocheapo said that his co-star could save money by going to get “a set of razors from Walgreens or CVS,” but Sharpe shot that down quickly.
“Man be looking like Nestlé Crunch down there,” he joked before adding, “Go get that thing sugared. I got you… I need hardwood floors… I need hardwood floors. I don’t need no carpet.”
Ending his rant by saying, “They got the shag carpet like used to be in them ’70s.”
After talking about paying for the maintenance only if it can enhance his sexual pleasure, Sharpe said the issue is that women overvalue themselves when they ask for men to take care of these particular types of cosmetic favors.
He further states that women asking their partner to pay for them compromises the relationship.
“I would rather take a little less than have somebody begrudgingly give me more,” Sharpe says. “And it ruins the relationship because I’ve seen it happen.”
According to the three-time Super Bowl champion, when women expect men to take care of them in return for a relationship, the expectation is like they are “entering into an agreement or a contract.”
The problem with that, according to the former athlete, is that women are overvaluing themselves in these scenarios and are typically not at the same level of worth as the men they are demanding care from.
“You don’t fit the market on your value… The market [breaks down like this]: I want to sell this red solo cup with water for $15. If somebody gave me $15, that’s what it’s worth,” he explains.
He continued, “Something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, ladies. Y’all need to stop this, ‘I know my value!’ Who said that value [is] the market.”
Then, he punctuates his point by making an analogy about his watch.
“It’s worth what somebody will pay for it. The difference is you wear your watch to tell time. I wear my watch to tell you how valuable my time is. There’s a difference between the two,” he blasted.
While much of his commentary was offensive to women, especially seeming to be aimed at Black women, many of his male followers in the comments section agreed with him, saying he sounded much like the late Kevin Samuels.
“I ain’t paying no monthly subscription just for a relationship with a girl,” one person wrote on YouTube.
Another wrote in the comment section, “Glad to see men talking about this! Modern dating is prostitution.”
On his Instagram, one person joked, “I believe it was the philosopher Kanye West who said, there’s a thousand you’s there’s only one of me.”
But not everyone was on in agreement with his comments.
“I just don’t understand why men are approaching well-maintained women if they’re just going to complain,” one woman wrote. “Go find what you’re looking for, sir. If you want a woman with natural nails, no wax, no pedicure then seek that! Why are you bothering women that you can literally see like to indulge in self-care???”
Her remarks set it off in the comment section with over 50 people going back and forth, calling her everything from being “broke” to a “gold digger.”
Sisters felt safe in this space to comment back, with one saying, “facts.”
Another woman also bravely spoke up, writing, “I think they missed the point of the woman’s list.”
“She pays all that for herself,” she continued. “So if you approach her because you like what you see, don’t get sticker shock at the maintenance cost. Leave her alone if you can’t afford it.”
This person is probably someone Sharpe would not approach, particularly since she is not his typical type.
