MS gentle is shy, pretty in a diffident sort of way, and though she has opinions of her own, has learnt to be self effacing.

NOT that Ms Gentle is a homebody who has nothing to speak up about. A software engineer, she holds a decent job and has a clutch of friends, loves going to the movies and eating out with them.

BUT then, Ms Gentle is also planning to get married, and at a bit past the ideal slot of the mid 20s, was considered to be good enough to place on the shelf.

LUCKILY for her, a matchmaking organisation her community activated found her a bevy of young men to choose from. And to her parents' utter delight, instead of her having to send out the proposals, she landed one herself. The man, when he turned up to meet her in person, was a cause for greater delight.

HE was tall, quite personable, despite the hairline that was marching determinedly back from his high forehead, and he was earning a five-figure salary that promised comfort and even a bit of opulence.

IF Ms Gentle had a sneaking feeling that Mr Right looked as if he had spent a lot many days and nights chasing life as it rushed down the fast lane, she held her counsel. There seemed no other alternative, and anyway, the ecstasy on her parents' faces was enough to make her quench her suspicions. Ms Gentle also wondered why someone who was such an extrovert as her husband-to-be had chosen her.

AS things turned out, the wedding took place and all seems well. Mr Right had no dark secrets, at least none that were revealed. He was clear about his choosing a woman who was homely, submissive, could work and earn a second income should he choose for her to do so, and who would be able to tend the home while he chased the life that raced down the fast lane.

WHETHER Ms Gentle will take to playing that role, what with her education, and quietly independent streak, is worth watching.

NOW, on to the story of Ms Sexy.

Oomph as you never saw it except on item girls is what Ms Sexy exudes. A figure to put Venus to shame, the stuff bawdy film song lyrics are made of. Ms Sexy loves the way she looks and wears clothes to suit her body - tight jeans, swaying skirts, tees and knits that bend around the curves...

BUT at heart Ms Sexy is something else. A traditionalist. Ms Sexy still believes in touching the feet of her elders, including those of her parents, on special days.

AND all Ms Sexy wants is to settle down and keep house; not for her the excitement and agonies of climbing the career ladder, or of being a glamour puss. She wants to have babies and cook great meals for them. The ideal wife for any chauvinistic male, one would say, and the answer to every ad that reads,' Wanted pretty, homely...'

BUT Ms Sexy cannot find a suitable boy. One look at her wow figure and the eligible bachelor turns tail and runs. He perceives her not as a bride-to-be but as a raunchy little thing who will upset his home, family and lead him a merry chase.

Of course Ms Sexy refuses to dress up in a sari and play the role to get a man... believing in 'I am who I am'. And her parents are in despair...

TWO women, so different, yet part of the same universe. And what similar fates they have! Of being seen as what they aren't.

GOT COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? E-MAIL US AT femina@timesgroup.com WITH 'ME TO YOU - TWO WOMEN' IN THE SUBJECT LINE