Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Can't get a date? Read this.

For you single guys who think you are Mr. Cool, you may want to check out a couple of new books discussed in yesterday's (4-6) Arizona Republic. One of them was written by a couple of ladies and is titled "Undateable: 311 Things Guys Do That Guarantee They Will Not Be Dating or Having Sex."

That sounds serious and even if you think you are the coolest guy in town, it seems inevitable that when the list of mistakes you can make with women has 311 entries, you are bound to screw up somewhere along the line. For example, in this world of first impressions being lasting, it is suggested that you lose the "soul patch" under your lower lip. Why? Because what men wear is usually the deal maker or deal breaker on the list of how women judge a guy. Most women feel the soul patch is a loser and even if they like you otherwise, they still have that underlying worry about what kind of guy would grow a soul patch in the first place.

If you don’t pass the initial 15 to 20 second appearance test, "The door starts to close" says Pepper Schwartz, a female professor of sociology at the University of Washington. Besides the patch, novelty belt buckles, "mandanas", high waisted jeans, tube socks, and Speedos are big time faux pas items. Oh, yeah, if you still wear your high school ring, that may be a deal breaker too; at least I would hope so.

While men have over 300 negatives that annoy women, men usually list only about 10 items about women that are annoying and, if the woman is good looking enough, they will overlook 9 of the complaints even if some of them are wearing eyeliner out to their ears, talking baby talk, referring to their boobs as "the boys" and wearing men’s neckties a la Ellen DeGeneres.

Why are men so lenient? If you are a man, it’s an easy answer. Men will put up with about anything if there is even the slightest chance of having sex with a woman. Being a man, I can understand that logic. Maybe it’s why we are often referred to as "pigs" by the ladies.

When I was dating many moons ago, guys had a standard "look." Clean shaven, slicked back hair, dark slacks and a white shirt. We all looked like clerks in a grocery store but that was all there was to style in those days. I hate to think of someone rebelling and growing a soul patch then.

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