Wednesday, April 28, 2010

(a few) Mistakes Men Make (and don't realize)

I have been thinking about doing a blog like this for a while. Then the other day , I came across this big blog (which will remain nameless), that is specifically written from a man's perspective. This blog has several authors, some of them single, often offering dating advice. Mostly, what I read on their site I think is total bullshit. Especially when it came to reading their dating mistakes. Did they even talk to women to get their opinion on the subject? What makes you think you know what a woman wants? You. Are. A. Man. You are worse than cosmo which consistently and relentlessly tells a woman that the key to any good relationship is a bikini wax and this new level five kama sutra move.

So here is (the beginning of) my take on guy's dating mistakes. Taken from empirical evidence. Feel free to add to the list, I know I will.

1. "I don't dance."
Scene: Bar. Music. People slightly buzzed. Girl approaches boy. Touches his arm. Playfully asks him to dance while (most likely) smiling and, at least attempting to give him "the look." Boy, hesitates, begins thinking about touching her hip and getting close to her on the dance floor. Gets a little excited about the possibility of a close proximity of body bumping. Responds: "Uh... I don't dance."

Reality: Boy tells girl he doesn't dance because he is afraid of how he will look. (Duh.)

Flash forward to same girl. Same guy. Same attraction and flirty innuendos. Girl sees you dancing with another girl.

Yes, maybe you are embarrassed by your moves on the dance floor. And maybe now you have had a sufficient number of drinks to be brave. Maybe she will understand that you need to be drunk to dance, but it's still kinda offensive to turn down a girl to dance when you are interested in her. In fact, this just makes me think a guy is not interested in me whatsoever. Also, I can't think of any girl who has ever stopped being interested in a guy because of his moves on the floor. In all honestly, it might be bad, but I'm sure it's not that bad. And often times when you already like a guy, anything dorky he does, like dancing, is just endearing and not embarrassing.

Tip: Instead of turning the girl down, why don't you be playful and admit you don't know how to dance than say, "I'll only dance with you if you teach me how." If she's interested in you, she will take you up on this challenge.

2. Waiting 15-20 minutes to respond to EVERY text. EVER.
Really? Swingers was literally over a decade ago. Get over the three-day-rule; 15-minute-texting rule. If you are like most guys of this up-and-coming generation, than you prefer to peruse relationships through text messages. (I disagree with this and wonder all the time, why can't a guy just pick up the damn phone.) Fine. I will give you whatever level of comfortableness you need in order to get to know a girl better. (But I don't have to love it.) However, if this is your chosen route, it is really hard to get into a good grove of texting conversation when you only respond every 15-20 minutes. Sure, maybe you legitimately have something going on. Well then, I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to all the seemingly too-cool guys out there. Stop. If you can't even give me consistently a few minutes of texting time, then you are not worth my time.

3. Who taught you that move? =dealbreaker
When I was in college I didn't really pay attention to the lack of creativity or lack of a man's balls to just make a move. But the next time a guy uses the move of a) asserting his manliness and showing me how big and strong he is; and b) needing an excuse to touch me and hope that it will lead to something, I am going to call dealbreaker. What move am I talking about, you ask? The good ol' "let me show her some self-defense move." Reaallly. Because I need you to show me, the damsel in distress, how to take care of myself. Did I ask for you karate-self-defense moves? No. Do I want you to show me how easy it is for you to hold me down or choke me? Hell no.

4. Phone calls.
When a guy says he will call and doesn't. Too easy? Of course there is a point in every relationship where a boyfriend doesn't always have to call back or call right when he says so. This is about relationships that are just beginning to form. No this isn't about being that girl waiting by the phone, hoping a guy will call or about being a perfectionist and bitching about every little slip up. This is about being important enough for a guy to call you when he says he will call. Bottom line. In this particular day and age with texting and chatting being so much of the social interaction, which isn't face-to-face or even voice-to-voice, a phone call seems to mean more than it once did. Which can lead to an even greater disappointment for a girl when they guy decides he won't call. Key word: decide. Because that's what it comes off as. What made him change his mind? What made him decide not to call? I hate to get all 'He's just not that into you' but, if you were on his mind, wouldn't he remember to call? So that's how it's viewed. That's where disappointment stems from: the thought that it was a conscious decision not to call.

5. You know what I want in bed.
You don't. Don't assume. Ask. And pay attention to where I'm moving your hands. Or how my body shakes when you do something right. Body Language! Also, you don't know anything about vibrators. It's not just the vibration that makes it more intense. It's the fact that I can play out my own fantasy, it's about the fact that I'm with someone who knows exactly what I want--me. Listen to my body, and when in doubt ASK. There is something very attractive about a man who is open to learning what exactly it is that will bring me pleasure.

6. Confusing "I'm busy" with "I'm not interested."
You either hit on a girl because you think she is interested or because you are interested in her. If it's the former, listen to your instincts. Maybe she really is busy. People do things and have busy lives, it's very plausible. Don't act so butt-hurt because she can't/refuses to change her life around you for some guy she doesn't know. Be patient. Ask her to make you an offer; if she's interested she will.

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