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WHY MEN LOVE Bitches

Why Men Love Bitches is a relationship guide for women who are
“too nice.” The word bitch in the title does not take itself too
seriously—I’m using the word in a tongue-in-cheek way
representative of the humorous tone of this book.
The title and the content address what many women think, but
don’t say. Every woman has felt embarrassed by appearing too
needy with a man. Every woman has had a man pursue her, only to
lose interest the minute she gave in. Every woman knows what it
feels like to be taken for granted. These problems are common to
most women, married and single alike.
So why do men love bitches? An important distinction should be
made between the pejorative way the word is usually used, and the
way it is used here. Certainly, I’m not recommending that a woman
have an abrasive disposition. The bitch I’m talking about is not the
“bitch on wheels” or the mean-spirited character that Joan Collins
played on Dynasty. Nor is it the classic “office bitch” who is hated
by everyone at work.
The woman I’m describing is kind yet strong. She has a strength
that is ever so subtle. She doesn’t give up her life, and she won’t
chase a man. She won’t let a man think he has a 100 percent “hold”
on her. And she’ll stand up for herself when he steps over the line.
She knows what she wants but won’t compromise herself to get
it. But she’s feminine, like a “Steel Magnolia”—flowery on the
outside and steel on the inside. She uses this very femininity to her
own advantage. It isn’t that she takes undue advantage of men,
because she plays fair. She has one thing the nice girl doesn’t: a
presence of mind because she isn’t swept away by a romantic
fantasy. This presence of mind enables her to wield her power when
it is necessary.
In addition, she has the ability to remain cool under pressure.
Whereas a woman who is “too nice” gives and gives until she is
depleted, the woman with presence of mind knows when to pull
back.
Among the hundreds of interviews I conducted with men for the
book, over 90 percent laughed and agreed with the title within the
first thirty seconds. Some men chuckled as though their best-kept
secret had just been revealed. “Men need a mental challenge,” they
said. Time and time again, this was the recurrent theme.
The men I interviewed all phrased it slightly differently, but the
message didn’t change. “Men like it when a woman has a bit of an
edge to her,” they said. Two things became clear across the board:
First, they would regularly use the phrase mental challenge to
describe a woman who didn’t appear needy. And second, the word
bitch was synonymous with their concept of mental challenge.
And this characteristic, above all, they found attractive.
When I used the phrase mental challenge with men, it was
immediately clear to them the quality I meant. On the other hand,
when I interviewed hundreds of women, rarely did they understand
the same phrase. They often related the phrase to intelligence, rather
than to neediness. It wasn’t just that my hunch was confirmed by
these interviews; they also strengthened my sense of purpose. I
thought that anything this obvious to men should not be kept a
secret from women.
This book addresses the very issues that men won’t. He won’t
say, “Look, don’t be a doormat,” “Don’t always say yes,” “Don’t
revolve your whole world around me.” This book is necessary
because these are things a man will not spell out for his
partner.
In the chapters that follow, you’ll find one message coming
through loud and clear: Success in love isn’t about looks; it’s about
attitude. The media would have us believe differently. A teenage girl
picks up a magazine and reads: “Get that boy’s attention” with an
item of clothing, or a certain look. “This nail color or lipstick will
wow him,” the magazine assures her. And what does the girl learn?
How to obsess over someone else’s approval.
Then there is the issue of how the media treats aging. The
teenage woman evolves into a twenty-something woman with
confidence, and the media bombards her with negative images of
aging. The message here is: Two wrinkles and a stretch mark, and
she’s “marked down” like last season’s merchandise that’s sold at
half price. And what does she learn? How to obsess over someone
else’s disapproval.
So what’s the message of this book? It’s that a bit of irreverence
is necessary to have any self-esteem at all. Not irreverence for
people, but rather, for what other people think. The bitch is an
empowered woman who derives tremendous strength from the
ability to be an independent thinker, particularly in a world that still
teaches women how to be self-abnegating. This woman doesn’t live
someone else’s standards, only her own.
This is the woman who plays by her own rules, who has a feeling
of confidence, freedom, and empowerment. And it’s this feeling that
I hope women will glean from reading this book.
The woman who has a positive experience with men possesses
the ever-so-subtle qualities I discuss in this book: a sense of humor
and an aura that conveys, “I’m driving the train here. I’ll tell you
where we get on and where we get off.” This woman has that
presence of mind to do what is in her best interest and an attitude
that says she doesn’t need to be there. She is there by choice.
The bitchy women who are so loved by men give off a devilmay-
care quality and, yes, have that “edge.” This is that same edge,
coincidentally, that men say they find so magnetic. The difference is
this woman isn’t looking for it outside herself; it is a special quality
she carries within.
Note: Throughout this book, some names have been changed
at the request of those interviewed.
1
FROM DOORMAT
TO
Dreamgirl
Act Like a Prize and You’ll Turn
Him into a Believer
“Sex appeal is 50% what
you’ve got, and 50% what
people think you’ve got.”
—SOPHIA LOREN
Meet the Nice Girl
Everyone has known a “nice girl.” She is the woman who will
overcompensate, giving everything to a man she barely knows,
without him having to invest much in the relationship. She’s the
woman who gives blindly because she wants so much for her
attentions to be reciprocated. She’s the woman who goes along
with what she thinks her man will like or want because she wants to
keep the relationship at all costs. Every woman, at some point, has
been there.
Certainly, the average fashion magazine gives women ridiculous
relationship advice that makes it easy to understand why women are
so eager to overcompensate: “Play hard to get, then cook him a
four-course meal . . . bake him Valentine’s cookies with exotic
sprinkles shipped from Malaysia (just like Martha Stewart). Don’t
forget the little doilies and the organic strawberries that you drove
two hours to get. Then serve it all to him on the second date,
wearing a black lace nightie.” And what is this a recipe for?
Disaster.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #1
Anything a person chases in life runs away.
Especially when it comes to dealing with a man. With one caveat:
If you chase him in a black nightie, first he’ll have sex with you . . .
and then he’ll run.
Why does a man run from a situation like this one? He runs
because the woman’s behavior doesn’t suggest that she places a
high value on herself. The relationship is new, and the bond between
them is relatively shallow. Yet she’s already dealt him her best card.
The fact that she is willing to overcompensate to a virtual stranger
immediately suggests one of two things. He’ll either assume she is
desperate, or he’ll assume she is willing to sleep with all men right
away. Or both. What gets lost is his appreciation for her extra
effort. Once a man begins to lose respect for a woman because she
is willing to subtly devalue herself, he will also lose the desire to get
closer to her. Nightie or no nightie.
A dreamgirl, on the other hand, won’t kill herself to impress
anyone. This is why the woman he really falls in love with doesn’t
serve a four-course meal. And you won’t see her breaking out the
fancy china, either. She’ll start out cooking him a one-course meal.
(Popcorn.) No fancy doilies. A Tupperware bowl does the trick.
She simply asks her guest, “Hey, do you want the bag or the
bowl?” Six months later, the same woman throws together a meal
and puts down a hot plate in front of him. And what does he say to
himself? “Man! I’m special!”
It doesn’t matter if it is pasta with Ragu topped by a meat-ball
you picked up at the corner deli. He’ll say, “This is the best pasta I
have ever had in my life!”
Now he feels like a king. And the only difference is the amount of
time and effort he had to invest, first. He didn’t get it all right up
front and he appreciated it more.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #2
The women who have the men climbing the
walls for them aren’t always exceptional.
Often, they are the ones who don’t
appear to care that much.
This isn’t about how to play a game or how to manipulate
someone. This is about whether you are genuinely needy, or
whether you can genuinely show him that you’ll be an equal partner
in the relationship. It’s about whether you are capable of holding
your own in a relationship.
What would happen if you let him know from day one that you
are willing to bend over backward? He’d think you’re desperate,
and he’d want to see just how far you’d be willing to bend. It is
human nature. He’d immediately start to test the waters. The more
malleable you’d become, the more he’d expect you to bend. He’ll
instantly perceive you as a Duracell battery, as in, “Just how far will
she go? How much can I get out of her?”
Nice girls need to know what a bitch understands.
Overcompensating or being too eager to please will lessen a man’s
respect; it will give the kiss of death to his attraction, and it will put a
time limit on the relationship.
Most men don’t perceive a woman who jumps through hoops as
someone who offers a mental challenge. Intelligent women make the
mistake of assuming that if they hold a higher degree, they can hold
their own in a political debate, and they have a good understanding
of mid-caps, they offer a man mental stimulation during dinner. But
the mental challenge has little to do with conversation. (Granted, if
she thinks that Al Green and Alan Greenspan are the same person,
then Houston? We have a problem.)
In general, the mental challenge has to do with whether you
expect to be respected. It has to do with how you relate to him. It
has to do with whether he knows that you aren’t afraid to be
without him.
The nice girl makes the mistake of being available all the time. “I
don’t want to play games,” she says. So, she lets him see how
afraid she is to be without him and he soon comes to feel as though
he has a 100 percent hold on her. This is often the point when
women begin to complain: “He doesn’t make enough time for me.
He isn’t as romantic as he used to be.”
A bitch is more selective about her availability. She’s available
sometimes; other times she’s not. But she’s nice. Nice enough, that
is, to consider his preferences for when he’d like to see her so that
she can sometimes accommodate them. Translation? No 100
percent hold.
What about the woman who will drop everything and drive to
see a man? The man also knows he has a 100 percent hold on her.
After a couple of dates, he goes out with the boys, comes in at
midnight, calls her, and off she goes to see him. When a woman
drives to see a man in the middle of the night, the only thing missing
is a neon sign on the roof of her car that says WE DELIVER.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #3
A woman is perceived as offering a mental
challenge to the degree that a man doesn’t
feel he has a 100 percent hold on her.
Your time with him is telling. The nice girl sits in a chair after a
week of knowing the guy, bored out of her mind as he does
something that interests him. He may be watching sports on TV,
cleaning his fishing gear, strumming his guitar, or working on his car.
She is miserable but doesn’t say a peep. Instead, she tries to make
the best of it and twiddles her thumbs politely, just so she can be in
his company.
The bitch, on the other hand, makes plenty of peeps. In fact, she
is bitching the whole way through. This is not a bad thing, because
then he knows he can’t walk all over her. But remember, a mental
challenge has little to do with being verbally combative. It has to do
with your actions and how much of yourself you are willing to give
up. For example, he says he likes blondes. You have dark skin,
dark eyes, and black hair. The next time he sees you, you’ve
bleached your hair and dyed your eyebrows to match. Translation?
He’ll sense he has a 100 percent hold on you.
“A man’s love comes from his stomach,” they say. That’s true,
but no one said to slave for six hours to feed him. Whether he eats
out or you order take-out, the stomach is full, and there is plenty of
love to go around. Rule of thumb: If it is warm, he’ll eat it. The rest
is wasted effort.
Women are conditioned to give themselves away. I have yet to
see a men’s magazine with an article on how to cook a woman a
four-course meal. The closest they ever come to a recipe is in the
bodybuilder section, when they tell guys to mix up a few egg whites
with some wheat germ.
I raise the issue of cooking because it’s one of many ways that
women overcompensate. This doesn’t mean you should forgo
cooking altogether. Perhaps it’s your anniversary, and you’ve been
together a whole year. Perhaps it is his birthday, and you want to
do something special for him.
On a special occasion, and after he has earned it, cooking him a
meal is a nice “treat.” But it isn’t a treat if you give it to him right off
the bat. Since this is a book for women, I would be remiss if I
didn’t include some recipes for those first weeks in a relationship.
And, unlike Martha Stewart’s recipes, the following are easy to
remember. You don’t even need recipe cards.
Appetizer
Popcorn à la Carte
I recommend popcorn for its convenience and quick preparation
time. First, place the bag in the microwave. When all the kernels
have popped, remove the popcorn from the microwave carefully,
because it will be very hot. Be sure to wear a cooking mitt, an
apron, and a spatula to assist in the removal of the popcorn from
the microwave. This will not only impress your guest, it will also
make it look like you really know what you’re doing.
If you find that the popcorn is burned, notice where it is burned.
If it’s black at the top, dump out the black part and salvage the rest
by pouring it into a bowl. Serve the yellow part to your guest, and
then adjust the time when you make a new bag for yourself.
Serves: one and a half. (Good enough.)
Main Course
Gourmet Delicate Dippings
Bring a pot of water to a boil, and plop in two wieners. Cook them
for five minutes so the wieners are tough or slightly al dente. Pour
your guest a refreshing beverage (Kool-Aid). Then send him onto
your balcony so he can enjoy the lovely view—as ambience is
everything. When he isn’t looking, slice and dice the little wieners
and stick a toothpick into each piece. Like Martha, you can truly
express your creativity with a wide assortment of different colored
toothpicks. Now serve the little weiners with two “delicate dipping”
sauces, served side by side: ketchup and mustard. And never refer
to them as weiner slices, always refer to them as “Gourmet Delicate
Dippings.”
Now for dessert: a jelly roll (Hostess) served with coffee
(instant). And an after-dinner mint always makes a classy finishing
touch. I recommend peppermint, spearmint, or Trident.
You’ll know dinner was a smashing success when he insists on
taking you out to eat next time. Never again will you hear him utter
the words, “Hey, what’s for dinner?”
If, after some time, he ever slips and asks you to cook, simply
offer to make your specialty: popcorn, wieners, and a jelly roll, with
coffee and Kool-Aid to help wash it down. Then start getting ready
because you’ll have reservations within the hour.
The bitch is not the woman who will sit at home and work
overtime to refine her “man-catching” skills. All she feels she has to
do in the beginning is focus on being good company. This is more
than enough until he earns the “cat-bird seat” at the top of the yacht.
In the beginning, pay close attention and take note of the
following: If he’s unwilling to lift a finger during the courtship, he is
showing you right up front that he has nothing to offer you in the
future. This behavior has nothing to do with your worth. It has
everything to do with what he has to offer. And it also has to do
with how you present yourself. Are you working overtime? If he has
a lot to offer but you don’t allow him to come your way, he’ll have
no other option but to back off. When a nice girl overcompensates,
her behavior says, “What I have to offer isn’t enough,
and who I am isn’t enough.” The bitch, on the other hand, gives a
very different message. “Who I am is enough. Take it or leave it.”
And now, a comparison:
“I AM NOT ENOUGH.” VS.
“I'M ENOUGH.
TAKE IT OR LEAVE
IT.”
She calls him often and says,
“Please return my call.”
She gets back to him when
she’s free.
She is on call like a rookie
flight attendant.
She sees him when it is
convenient for her.
She makes it obvious a
relationship is her goal before
she knows much about him.
She goes out to have fun
and doesn’t make
promises to a virtual
stranger.
When he does call her, she is
mad he didn’t call sooner.
When he calls her, he is
curious where she is, and
why she’s not there.
She often drives. He’ll pick her up or happily
go out of his way.
She asks, “Where’s our
relationship going?”
He has no clue where the
relationship is going, and
she leaves it like that.
She talks about having
babies.
She can’t remember his
last name.
She asks him about the “ex.” He brings up the ex; she
looks at her watch.
ONE = DOORMAT THE OTHER = DREAMGIRL
The foundation is laid from day one. From the very beginning, he
consciously (yes, consciously) tries to figure out what the
parameters are and how much he can get away with.
Phone etiquette is also telling. Do you wait to hear from him
before you make plans? Do you get bent out of shape if he doesn’t
call, check in, or show up as expected?
If so, you are not giving him a lesson in punctuality. What you are
doing is showing him he has a 100 percent hold on you, which isn’t
a good message to give someone you’ve just met.
It’s a fact that most men deliberately don’t call, just to see how
you’ll respond. When a woman is upset, she is easy to read. And a
man can easily gauge how much a woman wants or needs the
relationship by simply pulling back a little bit. So forget all those
other theories from magazines about why men don’t call.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #4
Sometimes a man deliberately won’t call,
just to see how you’ll respond.
It is human nature for a man to test the waters to see how much
he can get away with. You see it in the behavior of children and
even in the behavior of pets. It’s par for the course.
Pulling back is also something men do to gain reassurance. No
man is going to say, “Honey, I need reassurance about where I
stand with you.” Instead he’ll pull back to see how you’ll react.
When you react emotionally, it gives him a feeling of control. And if
you react emotionally frequently, over time he will come to see you
as less of a mental challenge. If he can’t predict how you’ll always
react, you remain a challenge.
It also gives him something he absolutely needs: the freedom to
breathe. If you don’t hear from him for a little longer than usual,
show him that you have absolutely no “attitude” about it. This
behavior will make him a little unsure about whether you miss him
(i.e., “need him”) when he isn’t around. It gives him a reason to
come your way because he won’t perceive you as needy.
Try not to say things such as “Why haven’t you called me?” or
“Why haven’t I heard from you in a week?” If you act as though
you haven’t even noticed (because time flies when you’re having
fun), he will come your way. Why? Because he doesn’t feel as
though he has a 100 percent hold on you.
A top teen magazine recently gave women the following bad
advice. They said to slip notes in unexpected places like his
backpack or locker, or to “write a poem and slip it under his
windshield wiper.” As if this wasn’t enough to give his attraction the
kiss of death . . . Wait, it gets better. In addition, they advised
catching him off guard by “having a pizza delivered.” Okay. Put it all
together and what do you get? A magic recipe for convincing him
you are a stalker.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #5
If you start out dependent, it turns him off.
But if it is something he can’t have, it becomes
more of a challenge for him to get it.
Again, it isn’t about learning how to play a game. It’s about
understanding human nature and behaving accordingly A man will
always want what he can’t have. When a man meets a woman and
she seems nonchalant, it becomes a challenge for him to win her
affections.
Or, if he tries to get a woman to react in an insecure way but she
holds herself with a level of dignity and pride, suddenly the dynamic
changes. The same guy who was gunshy of relationships becomes a
believer. Now he begins to fantasize about getting the so-called
bitch to cook him a meal, fold his socks, or chase him around. But if
you start out dependent on him, he simply doesn’t value it the
same.
Another mistake that a woman can make is to put herself down.
When you’re on a date, you should never talk about the plastic
surgery you want to have or the weight you want to lose. Don’t talk
him out of a compliment. This is the time to be sure of who you are.
So, what’s the right attitude? “This is me, in all of my splendor . .
. and it doesn’t get any better than this.” Don’t spend a fortune on a
therapist. Just say it to yourself until you believe it. Eventually you
will believe it, and so will he.
Humility? Don’t worry. It’s a treatable affliction, a mental glitch.
If you catch yourself being modest or humble or any of that
nonsense, correct the problem immediately. Go directly back to
believing you are “a catch.” Period. End of story. Case closed. If
someone else doesn’t like your confidence, that’s their problem.
Why? You always come before they do, that’s why.
Case in point: Ever hear a man say that all the guys wanted his
exgirlfriend? He’ll build her up so much that when you finally see a
picture, you are dumbfounded. What you really want to say is,
“Honey, she looks like she had the starring role in Lassie Comes
Home.” Don’t bother because he’ll rush to her defense: “She
looked better in real life.” No sale . . . try again. “She looked better
back then? (Pause.) It was a really bad picture, no, really.” (Still, no
sale.)
What women need to understand is that when a man considers a
woman to be a prize, looks have very little to do with it. In the
above example, it was a simple mind trick that goes like this: She
acted like a prize, and then a funny thing happened. He completely
forgot who he was looking at.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #6
It is your attitude about yourself
that a man will adopt.
The same works in reverse. A beautiful woman can make herself
look ugly in the eyes of a man if she is very insecure.
He pursued you; therefore, he finds you attractive. An
understated demeanor and a confident attitude will convince him
you’re gorgeous.
Never assume you are not attractive enough, and therefore you
have to overcompensate or chase a man. Taste is subjective. One
man’s “ugly” is another man’s “beautiful.” The first date is about
looks. When he falls in love, it’s about your attitude. It’s about
whether you can hold your own. Which is all about how you hold
yourself.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #7
Act like a prize and
you’ll turn him into a believer.
A woman also demeans herself when she compares herself to
another woman. So, don’t let on when you feel threatened by
another attractive woman who walks into the room. If you want to
make a woman who is a 6 on a scale of 10 look like a 12, what do
you need to do? Simple. Act threatened by her. If you pretend not
to notice her, he’ll see your confidence in yourself and then he’ll
become intrigued with you. Then another curious thing will happen.
Suddenly she won’t look so good. She only has as much power as
you give her.
A girlfriend of mine named Samantha went on a first date with a
man who took her to a local boxing match. In between rounds, as
always, there was a sexy, barely dressed stripper who came out
holding the round number. Her date looked at the woman and then,
in an effort to be a gentleman, turned to look at Samantha. She
acted as though she was oblivious as to why he had turned to look
at her.
When the woman came out again in the following round in a seethrough
lace nightie, my friend leaned down under the seat and
nonchalantly asked her date if she could drink some of the water in
his water bottle. He said, “Sure.” At no time did she behave as if
she was threatened. Instead, she remained very composed as
though the other woman didn’t even exist. By the end of the third
round, he no longer noticed the woman in the boxing ring.
The end result was that he was completely enamored with
Samantha. And while driving home, he kept saying how incredibly
beautiful he thought she was. The proof was in the pudding. He
continued to pursue her, not the stripper who overcompensated, to
get the kind of attention that is often very short-lived.
While my friend’s behavior was exemplary, his wasn’t all that
romantic. It should not go unnoticed that a man is willing to take you
somewhere unromantic on the first date. If a man takes you to a
boxing match, a strip joint, or a place he might typically hang out
with a bunch of guys, he’s telling you by the choices he is making
that he doesn’t plan to have you around that long. If this is where he
takes you on a first date, don’t go out with him a second time.
If you are in an uncomfortable situation, don’t feel compelled to
compete with another woman. In addition, you don’t need to
expose a lot of skin or feel as if you have to work harder to earn a
man’s sexual attention. I know a woman who takes off layers of
clothes based on how the other women in the room are dressed.
The issue again is overcompensation. No need.
Wearing your sexuality on your sleeve isn’t advantageous in
luring a man. The issue is not about whether you are successful in
turning him on; this is no big achievement. He can get aroused from
riding a motorcycle or from sleeping. The issue is not whether you
turn him on; it’s whether he stays turned on after he has been
satisfied. This is the key.
Quality men are attracted by less, not more. If he sees a pretty
secretary wearing her hair in a bun, right there in broad daylight he’s
going to start wondering what she looks like with her hair down. If
he sees a woman dressed in a way that shows there is something
moving behind a sweater that he can’t see, his desire to see is
greater than if she’s showing it right off the bat. When you show
your shape, but don’t expose every inch, the “unwrapping of the
gift” becomes much more stimulating. If he has to unbutton an item
of clothing to get to what he wants to see, it turns him on more. Not
less.
You often hear a man say of a provocatively dressed woman, “I
wouldn’t kick her out of bed for eating crackers.” This is true until
he’s had “his way” with her and then crackers or no crackers, he
moves on. The difficult part isn’t getting a man’s interest. The trick
is knowing how to sustain it.
Much of holding your own in a relationship begins with how you
hold yourself. Overcompensating is overcompensating, and it
includes everything from calling a man too much to cooking a fourcourse
meal to dressing too provocatively. Remember the saying:
The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
If, at a later date, you dress provocatively, that’s another story.
Then he knows you are doing it just for him, so it becomes a treat.
This is why you often hear men say they want a lady in the living
room and a whore in the bedroom. It’s what you don’t show that
keeps him intrigued.
Don’t let the advertisements on TV be your guide. The woman
who sustains a man’s interest is not the one who feels confident
because of a particular miniskirt, a belly ring, or a black dress with a
plunging neckline. A bitch doesn’t rely on these things to feel good
about herself. She relies on who she is as a woman.
“He should accept me as I am!” says the woman who is too nice.
Accept you? Oh no, sister. Slap yourself. He should want you
madly. Acceptance has nothing to do with it. He accepts a
doormat. But he desires his dreamgirl. If you want acceptance, go
to a self-help group. We’re talking about what he craves. It started
when he was a kid. When he received a toy for Christmas that he
didn’t even ask for, he played with it for a whole five minutes. The
toy he cherished was the one he bought with two months’
allowance that sat on the top shelf in the toy store. He couldn’t
reach it but went in to look at it all the time. He got up every
morning at the crack of dawn to toss papers on a paper route to get
that toy. It’s the one toy he will always remember because he had
to earn it.
IN HER MIND IN HIS MIND
“I am going the extra mile.” “She is trying too hard. She’s
desperate.”
“I don’t want to play
games.” “She talks too much.”
“I am nurturing.” “She is mothering.”
“I am giving 100 percent
so I can make it work.”
“She is really nice, but there
just isn’t any chemistry”
But with the bitch? There’s no lack of sexual chemistry.
She Has That “Je Ne Sais Quoi”
Je ne sais quoi is a French expression that translates to “I don’t
know what.” It implies “that something special” that there aren’t
words for. It is that elusive charming quality you just cannot put
your finger on. What does this quality boil down to? A woman who
is comfortable in her own skin and cannot be made to feel bad
about herself.
It isn’t about looks; gorgeous women get dumped every day. It
isn’t about intelligence. Women of all types, from brilliant women to
women with the IQ equivalent of plant life, pull it off every day. It’s
about mystery and learning how to create intrigue.
When you lose your edge, the relationship loses its fire. Think of
him as the match. You are the striking board on the back of the
match cover. When the rough edge or sand wears off and starts to
become dull, it is much harder to get that spark.
For example, the man may say. “Maybe I need a little time to
think things over.” The woman who is too nice responds, “Please
don’t leave me.” Not the bitch. She offers to help him pack. Why
(choose A, B, or C)?
A. She is helpful.
B. He can’t pack.
C. She loves herself.
Hint: The correct answer is C. Because she loves herself, the
bitch doesn’t want anyone who doesn’t want her. She doesn’t grab
his ankles and beg for mercy. She keeps that edge. And, in doing
so, she prevents him from wanting to go.
Her aura says she doesn’t want him desperately enough, need
him desperately enough, or let him get under her skin enough. She is
driving that train. Effortlessly. And it is that very ease that translates
into charm.
Je ne sais quoi is a sexy devil-may-care attitude. Not only isn’t
the bitch needy of him, she often isn’t focused on him.
Ever notice that when you are on the phone ignoring the man you
are with, suddenly he’ll kiss your neck and try to get your attention?
Ignore him and he is intrigued. Make him the center of attention all
the time and he runs.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #8
The biggest variable between a bitch and a
woman who is too nice is fear. The bitch shows
that she’s not afraid to be without him.
Margaret Atwood said, “Fear has a smell, as love does.” It is
said that excitement and fear come from the same part of the brain.
When a man is slightly afraid of losing a woman, his excitement is
piqued.
His psyche is like a plant. It needs water but also air to breathe.
To give a man too much reassurance too soon is the same as
overwatering a plant. It kills it.
One of the things women have to get out of their mindset is the
notion of what a bitch is. A bitch is nice. She’s sweet as a Georgia
peach. She smiles and she is feminine. She just doesn’t make
decisions based on the fear of losing a man.
The difference between the bitch and the nice girl is not so much
in their personalities or in their demeanor. It has nothing to do with
how abrasive a woman is. A bitch is a bitch with her actions,
because she isn’t willing to give herself up.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #9
If the choice is between her dignity
and having a relationship, the bitch will
prioritize her dignity above all else.
The bitch remains the person she is throughout her relationship
with a man. She doesn’t lose her friends. She doesn’t give up her
career or her hobbies. She doesn’t give up all of her time or bend
over backward. And, unlike the nice girl, she is not too tolerant of
disrespect.
She also keeps her edge and has enormous self-respect; she
holds the conviction that her self-worth governs her decisions.
Because she is not afraid, ironically he becomes afraid to lose her.
Because she is not needy, he starts to need her. Because she isn’t
dependent on him, he begins to depend on her. It’s like a reverse
magnet. The person who is least dependent on the outcome of the
relationship will automatically draw the other person in.
Meet the “New and Improved” Bitch
Let us conclude this chapter by redefining the word bitch. Think of
it as a “term of endearment.” A bitch is not a woman who speaks in
a harsh tone of voice. It is not a woman who is abrasive or rude.
She is polite but clear. She communicates directly with a man, in
much the same way men communicate with one another. In this
way, it’s easier for a man to deal with her than with a woman who
waffles or appears too emotional, because the emotionally sensitive
type of woman confuses him. The bitch knows what she likes and
has an easier time expressing it directly. As a result, she usually gets
what she wants. Here are the ten characteristics that define her.
1. She maintains her independence.
It doesn’t matter if she is the CEO of a company or a
waitress at Denny’s. She earns an honest living. She has
honor, and she isn’t standing there with her hand out.
2. She doesn’t pursue him.
The moon and the sun and the stars don’t revolve around
him. She doesn’t make her dates with him when her
horoscope advises that his big Mercury is about to
retrograde in her little Venus. She doesn’t chase him or keep
tabs on him. He is not the center of the world.
3. She is mysterious.
There is a difference between honesty and disclosure. She is
honest but does not reveal everything. She isn’t verbally
putting her cards on the table. Familiarity breeds contempt
and predictability breeds boredom.
4. She leaves him wanting.
She doesn’t see him every night or leave long messages on
his machine. She isn’t on a first-name basis with his secretary
in one week. Men equate longing with love. Longing is good.
5. She doesn’t let him see her sweat.
She keeps communication from getting messy and avoids
communicating when upset. When she clears her head, she is
succinct and speaks in a “bottom line” way.
6. She remains in control of her time.
She takes it slowly, especially when he wants to hurry. She
moves to her rhythm, not his, preventing him from taking
control of her.
7. She maintains a sense of humor.
A sense of humor lets him know she is detached. However,
she doesn’t treat disrespect as a laughing matter.
8. She places a high value on herself.
When he gives her a compliment, she says thank you. She
doesn’t talk him out of it. She doesn’t ask what the ex
looked like and doesn’t compete with other women.
9. She is passionate about something other than him.
When he feels he isn’t the “be all and end all” of her
existence, it makes her more desirable. Staying busy ensures
she isn’t resentful if he is unavailable. He doesn’t have a
monopoly on the rent space in her head. He doesn’t get Park
Place, and he doesn’t get Boardwalk. He gets one of those
little purple properties next to Go.
10. She treats her body like a finely tuned machine.
She maintains her appearance and health. A person’s selfrespect
is reflected in how he or she maintains physical
appearance. If he tells her he doesn’t like red lipstick, she
wears it anyway, if it makes her feel good.
2
WHY MEN
Prefer
BITCHES
Cracking the Code:
What Every Nice Girl Needs to Know
“Happiness? A good cigar, a good
meal, a good cigar, and a good
woman—or a bad woman. It
depends on how much happiness
you can handle.”
—GEORGE BURNS
The Thrill of the Chase
Women need to understand that men love the “thrill of the chase”
and are highly competitive. They like racing cars, engaging in
athletics, and hunting. They like to fix things, to figure things out, to
pursue.
The cat-and-mouse game that women find maddening is actually
very exciting to men. This is a very basic difference between the
sexes. For a woman, the objective is often a committed relationship,
also known as the destination. For a man, the road trip on the way
to the destination is often the most fun.
The bitch understands that when a man wants something he’ll go
after it, and going after it makes him want it even more. If he
doesn’t succeed right away, he starts to crave it. It captures his
interest and excites his imagination. A woman who is too nice
throws cold water on this process. A man is more likely to get
bored when he hasn’t really invested much of himself.
No one respects a freebie or a handout in any facet of life. When
a woman sleeps with a man right away, it doesn’t pull him in. The
men I interviewed often admitted that if the sex was too easy to get,
it was not that great.
It’s like blackjack. If he wins big right up front, he’s done for the
night. But with the slow win, things develop differently He wins a
few hands and then loses a couple. At this point, wild horses
couldn’t pull him away, because he feels so close to winning again.
He can almost taste it. His inborn, competitive male nature kicks in
and makes him stay there and fight. And if he’s losing, he’ll fight
even harder.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #10
When a woman doesn’t give in easily and
doesn’t appear docile or submissive, it becomes more
stimulating to obtain her.
Another example is when he goes on a hunting trip with “the
boys.” They go out for a whole week. He sleeps in a grungy
sleeping bag and gets chewed up by mosquitoes. He eats food that
prison inmates wouldn’t touch. For what? The hunt. Then if he
actually kills a moose, he comes home prouder than a peacock and
wants to hang the moose head on the wall in the den. (Look out—
the hunter is now a decorator.)
Let’s notice something, because it is significant. If you were to
drop a dead moose on his doorstep, he’d want nothing to do with
it. It could be the very same moose he had hunted, and yet it could
have a totally different effect on him. This is how the pursuit affects
his interest in a woman. When a woman chases a man, it has the
same effect as if she were to deliver a dead moose to his front door.
The objective while dating is not to be mean. It’s to give him the
thrill of the chase by taking it slowly and letting him be a man. It’s
easy to understand his nature because it is our human nature, too.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE # 11
Being right on the verge of getting something
generates a desire that has to be satisfied.
Men often admit, “You always want what you can’t have.” The
bitch never lets him feel that he has her under his thumb. Since he
never quite has her, he never stops pursuing her.
So when he thinks he’s making progress and he has you right
where he wants you, sometimes it’s appropriate to gently remind
him that you aren’t under his thumb. Here are just a few
comparisons between the nice girl and the bitch.
SCENARIO #1: HE CALLS YOU AND EXPECTS YOU TO BE AT HOME.
If the nice girl leaves, she
calls first to tell him where
she’ll be and what time she’ll
be back.
The bitch lets him think
about where she is every
now and then.
Often she’ll assure him that
her cell phone’s on, should
he want to get ahold of her.
She lets him wonder if she’s
outside his reach by not
always reporting her
whereabouts.
SCENARIO #2: HE SAYS HE'LL CALL AT AROUND A CERTAIN TIME
AFTER HE GETS IN. THE CALL IS FOUR HOURS LATE.
The nice girl yells at
him and says she
was worried. “You
should have called!”
The bitch isn’t so easily upset, so
she isn’t so easy to read. She may
or may not pick up the phone, which
makes him miss her.
SCENARIO #3: HE SEEMS A LITTLE WITHDRAWN, PENSIVE, AND
NOT PARTICULARLY TALKATIVE.
The nice girl continually pries
and asks, “What are you
thinking about?” She worries
that he is pulling away.
The bitch is in her own
thoughts. She doesn’t
panic, which makes him
come her way.
SCENARIO #4: HE IS VERY LATE FOR A DATE AND KEEPS HER
WAITING.
The nice girl waits, calls him on his
cell phone four times, and tells him
he should “value her more.”
The bitch waits a
halfhour and then
makes other plans.
The difference in these situations isn’t as much how you treat him
as how you treat yourself. The bitch’s behavior lets him know
without any words that she will not pull the plug on her life to
accommodate him.
Are You Too Nice?
A Pop Quiz
1. Do you feel guilty when you say no, or do you say no and
then second-guess yourself?
Yes No
2. Do you often try to tell your partner that you want to be
treated with respect?
Yes No
3. Do you find yourself bartering or negotiating for what you
want or need?
Yes No
4. Do you often pass up sleep or the need for personal time to
meet his needs?
Yes No
5. Do you regularly see him on short notice or when it is
convenient for him?
Yes No
6. Do you find that you repeat what you’ve asked for as though
he didn’t hear it the first time?
Yes No
7. After a fight, are you always the first one to contact him or
apologize?
Yes No
8. Do you find you are much more doting and affectionate than
he is?
Yes No
9. Do you often feel depleted after he has been with you?
Yes No
10. Do you constantly want more attention or reassurance?
Yes No
If you’ve answered yes to five or more of these ten questions,
you are giving far more than you are receiving. Let’s explore why
giving yourself up is never in your best interests.
Women understand the concept of balance between work and
play. They balance time with family and time with friends. They
balance a job with getting an education. But when it comes to a
man, the nice girl abandons all sense of balance and immediately
makes the man the whole pie. But with a bitch, he is just a piece of
it. She keeps the other pieces intact.
It all starts out subtly. “What are you doing right now?” he asks
when he calls her from his cell phone. “Well, I was going to catch a
movie with a girlfriend,” she answers. The operative word is was
(past tense). Then he asks, “Want to hook up?” She pauses for two
seconds. “Okay.”
A man will try to get you to be very accessible because it’s
natural that he’ll want to make things more convenient for himself.
And he’ll do so by saying the following to pressure you to
accommodate him:
“I don’t like to plan things.”
“I like to be spontaneous.”
“I like to fly by the seat of my pants.”
Another key factor that distinguishes the nice girl from the bitch is
how much of herself she’ll give up. Once you’re in a relationship
and he’s shown a pattern of being interested over time, then it’s
okay to be a little more spontaneous. In the beginning, however,
don’t make yourself so accessible. If you do, the relationship will
always be on his terms.
The nice girl will often cancel plans with a girlfriend if she gets a
last-minute date. The bitch will hold her own simply by keeping her
previously set plans. I know one bitchy woman whose partner
absolutely adores her. If she’s painting her toenails when he calls,
she’ll still say, “Thank you so much, but I’m a little busy right now.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #12
A man knows which woman
will give in to last-minute requests.
Sometimes a man will get tickets to something at the last minute.
Or he’ll plan a romantic surprise. He is spontaneous, but clearly
you’re his first priority—so this is harmless. You’re in good shape if
he’s calling you all the time and wants to see a lot of you.
What you want to guard against is going on last-minute dates or
getting those last-minute calls to do something because he didn’t
have anything better planned. Sometimes when a woman has
feelings for a man, she can’t distinguish between the two.
THE SPONTANEOUS GUY WHO
IS TREATING YOU LIKE A VS.
THE
SPONTANEOUS
GUY WHO ADORES
BACKUP GUY WHO ADORES
YOU
You don’t hear from him for
two weeks at a time and
then all of a sudden you get
a phone call.
He makes dates ahead of
time, and he also wants to
see you spontaneously in
between.
He prioritizes social
engagements with his
drinking buddies.
His buddies complain that
he fell off the face of the
earth. They hassle him but
he doesn’t seem to care.
He makes travel
arrangements with friends
and never asks you to
accompany him.
He’s constantly asking you
to take time off from work so
you can get away together.
He’s irritable when he’s
around you and frequently
complains of not having
more time to himself.
He’s happy to be in your
company. His friends and
family all think he looks
happier than he’s ever
looked.
He calls you to cancel plans
for that evening. Later that
night, you call right back and
it goes directly to voice mail.
Then he calls the following
day with a good excuse.
If he has to cancel, he feels
badly about it. He calls you
when he gets in from
wherever he is because he
has nothing to hide and he
wants you to know he’s
being totally “on the level.”
He won’t ever take you out
or spend much money. He
may ask you for a loan.
Before you know it, you’re
supporting the guy through
college.
He’ll do anything just to see
you smile.
You make it known that He almost always sees you
you’re available on a
weekend night. And even
though he works during the
week, he doesn’t make
himself available to see you.
whenever you have time,
unless he has a professional
commitment or there’s an
important extenuating
circumstance.
A common example is the typical “booty call.” First, the guy
waits to hear back from someone else before confirming whether he
can see you. He’ll call at 5:00 and say he hasn’t showered yet and
he’s on the way At 7:00 he calls again and pulls the plug: “My friend
Troy stopped by” Then he says he’ll make it an early night with
Troy and tells you he wants to get together afterward. He gets in
late, and that’s when he offers to see you, providing you drive to his
place.
No matter how much you want to see him, don’t go. At this
point, you want to seriously consider not ever seeing him again. If
you do go, you won’t be more appealing to him; you’ll be turning
the dimmer switch down on his attraction for you.
A friend of mine named Crystal was in this exact situation and
handled it perfectly. A man named Brett called her on a Saturday
night; it was well after midnight and raining, and he asked her in a
seductive tone of voice to drive to his place. A classic booty call.
Crystal hadn’t heard from Brett in two weeks, since he’d indicated
he wanted to “see other people.” He also lived 35 miles away from
her at the time.
Crystal said, “Okay, sweetie. I’m on my way. Give me five
minutes to put on a garter belt under my raincoat. I’ll be there in
forty minutes.” She also asked Brett to wait downstairs for her in
the rain with an umbrella, so she wouldn’t get drenched walking to
the front of his apartment complex. He waited and waited and
waited. Three hours later, it occurred to him like a stunning
revelation: No booty cometh.
In the morning Crystal awoke to several messages from Brett. In
one of them, he mentioned that he had come down with a severe
case of the flu from standing in the rain. (Not her fault. He should
have gotten his flu shot.)
Again, the bitch is very nice. She is as sweet as a Georgia peach.
But inside every sweet peach is a strong pit. And this means she
won’t explain the obvious when a man is disrespectful. There is no
way to hold your own in a relationship and simultaneously accept
rude behavior. A quality man doesn’t want a woman he can trot all
over. There is nothing wrong with having a little self-respect— and
a few conditions.
Condition #1.
He books in advance.
The message? Your time and attention are valuable.
If you treat yourself as a valuable commodity, he will naturally put
more stock in you. For example, he calls and says, “When can I see
you?” Don’t say, “I’m wide open around the clock. Pick a time.
Anytime!” He suggests Friday. “Okay!” He suggests Tuesday.
“Okay!” He suggests three weeks from next Sunday. “Okay!”
Instead, politely tell him you have two nights that are good for
you. Then let him choose one. He’ll probably choose both.
Here’s a similar circumstance. A doctor I know started a private
practice. He didn’t want his receptionist to say, “Sure, we have tons
of openings. Drop in any time.” Instead, he instructed her to say,
“We can get you in at 2:15 or at 4:15. Which would work for you?”
Most people would tend to value an appointment more with a
doctor who appears to be fairly busy but is willing to
accommodate them than with one who is always open like an
allnight convenience store.
Condition #2.
Don’t see him when you are “running on empty.”
The message? He does not come before basic necessities (i.e.,
rest).
He says he’d like to see you at 9:00 P.M., and you don’t want to
be out too late? Tell him, “I’d prefer to get together earlier.” If he
can’t because he is working late, make no issue of it. Simply
suggest getting together another night.
Condition #3.
If you aren’t having fun or he isn’t good company,
end the date immediately, and give a
superficial explanation as to why.
The message? You have a standard of how you expect to be
treated.
For example, you are on a first date. He gets drunk and behaves
badly. For starters, never get into a car with someone who is
drinking. Always keep a credit card in your back pocket or a $20
bill in your bra. Tell him you are going home early. Excuse yourself,
go to the little girl’s room, and call a cab.
Another friend named Kelly snagged a guy whom a lot of women
wanted by setting the tone from the very beginning. She did so
simply by being reticent. The man was extremely successful, very
attractive, and charismatic. He first saw Kelly when he was eating
his lunch at a cafeteria where she often eats. He had that confident
vibe and was used to women hitting on him.
Kelly was the exception to the rule. He was trying to get her
attention while she remained absolutely riveted by her BLT
sandwich. She knew that he was watching her, but she pretended
not to notice. He came back Tuesday. And Wednesday. And
Thursday. When he finally asked her out, she paused before she
answered, “I don’t know you, so I can’t look at you in a romantic
way. We could start as friends and see where it leads.”
Here’s a guy who was used to women clamoring to be with him,
but with Kelly, he was presented with a challenge to pursue a
woman who let him know she won’t be so easily won over. In this
way, she held her own.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #13
Whether you have terms and conditions
indicates whether you have options.
Almost immediately, you present yourself
as a doormat or a dreamgirl.
“Terms and conditions” are a novel idea for the woman who is
too nice. (And you shouldn’t leave home without them.) Don’t get
me wrong: Unconditional love is a beautiful thing. Just be sure to
give it after your conditions have been met.
The Mamal Ho Complex
In the field of psychoanalysis, there’s a male hang-up called the
Madonna/Whore Syndrome. Let’s forget all the fancy
psychobabble and refer to the informal Mama/Ho version to better
understand our male counterparts.
The Mama/Ho theory holds that a man will either see you as his
“mama” or his “ho.” The word ho is a derivative of the word
whore. It is not a garden tool. A ho is any woman he is having sex
with, any woman he wants to have sex with, or any woman he has
had sex with.
The antonym for ho is mama. A man will feel affectionate toward
a woman who is really sweet and nice, much like the affection he
has for his mother. Because she doesn’t present a challenge and
she’s always there, he begins to take her for granted. This is when
you hear men say, “She’s really nice, but there just wasn’t any
chemistry.” Therefore:
SAFE + BORING + MAMA = NO SPARK
&
UNPREDICTABLE + NOT MONOTONOUS + HO =
FIREWORKS
Even though a man is turned on by the independent woman he
can’t have, he’ll still try to get you to be like his mama. He’ll want
you to cook, clean, and do his laundry.
One woman I know nipped the issue of laundry in the very
beginning. Early in her marriage, she threw a red sweat-shirt in with
all of her husband’s white cotton underwear. Then she turned the
water on hot to seal the deal. The only underwear he had left was
the pair he was wearing. No self-respecting, heterosexual male
would ever be caught dead wearing pink underwear. On seeing
the ruined garments, her husband threatened her with the very
words she wanted to hear, “You will never, ever, ever do my
laundry again!”
What a nice girl should know is that even if you make every
effort to be an exemplary housekeeper, he’ll still want a ho behind
closed doors. The two are related. Why? Constant mothering will
eventually turn a man off. Yes, they say that every man is looking
for his mother. This is a nice theory, but it doesn’t mean you should
run out and do his laundry or treat him as though you are his
keeper. There are four things that make a man feel suffocated or
mothered, that often turn him off, and that make him distance
himself from you like a rebellious teenager. These are the major
Mommy no-no’s:
Do not appear to check up on him or ask him to check in with
you.
Do not expect him (without asking first) to spend all his free
time with you.
Do not ask him to account for the time that he isn’t with you.
Do not be overly doting, leaving him no room to come your
way.
Never give the appearance that you are closing in on him. For
example, suppose he gets off the phone with his long-lost Auntie
Mae. If you immediately start questioning him or you jump down his
throat and demand to know who was on the phone, it has the same
effect as throwing on an apron and assuming the role of mama. Like
a teenager, he’ll rebel.
There are many things women inadvertently say that sound very
motherly: “Get some rest,” “Don’t stay out late,” “Call me when you
get in,” or “Eat something before you go out.” You will make him
feel emasculated. It’s no different than telling a two-year-old,
“After naptime we’ll have a little cookie.”
Asking a man to explain himself or check in with you is
mothering. Maybe he ran a half-hour late coming home. Perhaps he
was having a friend help him fix his lawnmower, or maybe he was
having a beer under the hood of his friend’s car. The very second
he thinks he has to explain himself to you, he’ll feel as though he is
losing his freedom. Then he’ll make up a story to conceal something
that didn’t need to be concealed, just to protect his “territory” or his
“turf.” And he’ll feel cornered.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #14
If you smother him, he’ll go into defense mode
and look for an escape route
to protect his freedom.
Don’t make him feel as though he has to ask permission for the
day-to-day things he wants to do. It’s smothering to him when you
watch him too closely. Don’t give him the feeling he’s under a
microscope. He’ll feel controlled and will instantly want to get
away.
When he’s shaving and he’s late for work, don’t push your way
into the bathroom to watch him. Don’t look in his car’s glove
compartment as though there’s something suspicious in there. Don’t
appear to eavesdrop on his phone conversations. Don’t try to take
over his kitchen or leave girlie things in his bathroom as though
you’re marking your turf. Don’t ask him to spend all his time with
you, and don’t say. “I miss you” when he hasn’t seen you in two
hours. If you do these things, you are subtly doing the chasing.
Don’t say things like, “Tuck in your shirt,” “Go wash your
hands,” or “Go brush your hair.” Don’t ask him if he’s hungry three
times in a row, and don’t wait on him hand and foot—unless he has
a cold. (One little sniffle and you can treat it like a terminal illness.)
Don’t plan all of your weekends together so he has to ask
permission to go fishing. Let him catch a couple of fish. Otherwise,
he’ll start to break dates. Why? Because he’s acting like a
rebellious teenager who’s been given a curfew by mama. He’ll do it
deliberately so you don’t get used to dic-tating how his time is
spent.
When you treat your time together as something he has to do,
you’ve taken something that was a pleasure and made it a chore. If
you are nice, but you give of yourself with strings attached, the
demand for reciprocity will send him several steps backward.
Whenever you make him feel as though he has to see you, it will
feel like work. When it’s not an obligation to see you, the very
same thing will feel like pleasure.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #15
Whenever a woman requires too many things from
a man, he’ll resent it. Let him give what he wants
to give freely; then observe who he is.
Men like things that are difficult. They like to drive stick-shift
automobiles. They like to jump out of airplanes, and they like to
climb mountains. They like to do the impossible. Therefore, when
he has to go out of his way to see you, he is actually happier. It will
not feel like work to him.
This theory applies to anything—a phone call, time together, sex,
or whether he checks in at the end of the day. If you always make
him feel he has plenty of space to do his own thing, he’ll always feel
that lust. You’ll be like a lover not like his mother. He’ll perceive
you as a privilege rather than an obligation, and he’ll come your
way.
The No Cage Rule
The minute a man feels vulnerable, he fears being devastated
emotionally. When he meets a nice girl, she could potentially
represent “forever.” Heaven forbid she lets the word relationship
trip off her tongue a couple of times? Call 911. He immediately
thinks she wants to latch onto him and have babies. Heaven forbid
you get excited to see a cute baby? Trauma. He has nightmares and
sees it as a sign that he’s in dire need of a backup form of birth
control.
Sometimes you hear men say, “I want to leave my options open”
or “I don’t want to get tied down.” Or they use catch phrases like
ball and chain or henpecked. My favorite is a hyphenated term
that begins with a female body part and is followed by the word
whipped.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #16
A bitch gives a man plenty of space so he
doesn’t fear being trapped in a cage.
Then . . . he sets out to trap her in his.
Clearly, men are scared to death of losing control of their
freedom. The thought of being stuck with one woman frightens
them. If a woman immediately acts as if she expects a man to
behave like a serious boyfriend without much effort on his part, he’ll
get scared and run off. With the nice girl, it only takes a few dates
for him to feel trapped. And then “lock-down mode” begins.
WHAT SHE SAYS. . . WHAT HE HEARS
“I’d love it if you’d let me know
where you are at night. It’s just
common courtesy”
Limited supervised
outings followed by
checkin time with the
warden.
“I get upset when you don’t call
me when we aren’t together.”
The ringing of the keys
that are attached to his
ball and chain.
“We should be together. Why
do you need the boys if you
have me?”
“Lights out and lockdown”
in fifteen minutes!
“I’d like to get married and Nothing. (Inmate on the
have kids within a year.” loose.)
Suddenly, poof! The magic is gone. He panics about being an
inmate crammed into a cell. By contrast, the bitchier woman is a
little more aloof, so it appears as if she has far less interest in taking
away his freedom or locking him down. This is one of the major
qualities that attract a man to a bitch.
Ask yourself the following . . .
Ever have a pillow fight and notice that you and your
partner are more turned on?
Ever notice that when you play-wrestle with a man, he
gets all fired up?
Ever notice when a man steps over the line and you
put him in his place, he gets turned on?
Ever wonder why the men you aren’t interested in
won’t stop chasing you?
When you’re dating someone and you don’t pay
attention to him, does he seem more intrigued and
chase you even more?
Have you ever played with your pet and noticed that
your man seems jealous?
To fully understand these occurrences, we must focus our
attention on where the true answer lies: The Animal Channel.
Men are hunters, and like any hunting animal, they are more
intrigued by conquering prey when it resists the predator. Most men
are turned on by a bitch because it’s a thrill to take down a
powerful woman.
Let’s look at how this has practical applications. A grad student
named Nancy was taking an evening class, and she had an interest
in a male classmate. He kept sitting closer and closer until finally he
asked her out. She said, “Okay, I’d love to. But while we are in this
class, I just want you to know that I’d like to keep it professional.”
There was clearly an undeniable amount of chemistry between
them, so her comment was hardly a deterrent. It became: Operation
Get That Girl.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #17
If you tell him you are not interested
in jumping into a relationship with both feet,
he will set out to try to change your mind.
The way to quell his fears is to say you aren’t interested in
anything “too serious.” As long as you appear interested in him, he’ll
keep coming your way. In his mind, you’ll always be able to be
convinced otherwise because men are so conditioned to meeting
women who want commitment. By not appearing to want
commitment, you throw a monkey wrench in the lockdown
program. He no longer knows what to expect.
This is how you get in the conductor’s seat of the train, and this is
when he wants to stay on board. When he’s driving, there is no
“thrill” and no “chase.” But when you’re driving, suddenly it’s a fun
ride because he can’t anticipate what will happen next. (I submit to
you, my fellow sisters, it’s very selfish not to indulge him in so much
fun.)
Things You Can Say to Avoid the Cage
When you go on a first date, tell him you “don’t want to be in a serious
relationship, for the time being.” (Of course, things may change.)
When you work together, say, “I don’t know if it’s a good idea for us to mix
business with pleasure.” (You need a little convincing.)
When it’s a long-distance relationship, say, “I’m not sure long-distance
relationships can work.” (Tentative is good.)
The opposite is also true. If, for example, you don’t like him and
wish he’d stop calling, try, “Babies? I love babies! I want at least a
half a dozen of them, maybe more. My clock is ticking so I’d like to
have them soon. Real soon. Perhaps six of them in the next four
years . . .” Keep talking about those babies.
This is the perfect approach for that friendly guy you aren’t
interested in and you don’t want to hurt. It’s a perfect way to get rid
of him. “Diapers? It’s easy to get the hang of it. And, don’t worry .
. . you’ll get used to the smell of the poop! It won’t last too long,
just until they get potty trained . . . .” Just make sure you’re on the
ground floor when you tell him, so he doesn’t get hurt when he
jumps off the balcony. (Open windows and high altitudes should
also be avoided.)
If you don’t make him feel locked down, he’ll come your way.
Think of him as a frightened stray dog. Eventually, he’ll drop his
guard and come around. But if you charge at him or try to corner
him, he’ll bolt.
This also relates to why men prefer bitches. When he meets a
woman who is unavailable or a little bitchy, he has a built-in excuse
for why he isn’t going to get too close. “She’s a bitch, so I won’t
get too serious. I’ll just have a little fun,” he says to himself. Fun
equals freedom. That is, until he gets attached and then it’s
checkmate. Men don’t choose to be in love. It happens by
accident. That’s why they coined the phrase to fall in love. As in
“Oops!” He fell. He had a plan . . . but it went terribly awry.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #18
Always give the appearance
that he has plenty of space.
It gets him to drop his guard.
The more relaxed he is, the less guarded he’ll be; and then it’s
only a matter of time before he reaches the point of no return. When
he’s in madly in love, you won’t need to say things like “Where are
you going?” or “What are you doing?” He’ll tell you everything you
ever wanted to know because he wants to, not because you had to
ask. And, if and when he does go out with the boys, he won’t be
able to wait to get home to you.
The Power of Choice
Who can forget the scene in Coming to America in which Eddie
Murphy, as the prince, stands before the altar prepared to wed his
beautiful bride in a prearranged marriage? Before the ceremony, he
takes the bride into a back room and asks her, “What do you like?”
She responds, “Whatever you like.” Then he asks her what she
likes to eat. “Whatever you like.” Her answers become more and
more subservient. Then he tells her to bark like a dog and hop on
one leg. When she does, he realizes he can’t go through with the
wedding.
A man wants a woman who has a mind of her own. An opinion.
The way you assert yourself lets him know whether you have selfconfidence.
It lets him know you can hold up your end of the
bargain. When he gives you a “little crap,” you can give him a “little
crap” right back. He respects a woman who can “trade blows” with
him and hold her own.
You don’t have to always agree with everything he believes. A
man falls in love with a woman when he feels he has “met his
match.”
If you feel strongly about something, don’t be afraid to say so.
When he asks, “What movie do you want to see?” don’t always tell
him to choose. How about saying, “Hey, I sat through two of your
‘shoot-’em-up-bang-bang’ movies, so we’re seeing a ‘chick-flick’
tonight.” Men are attracted to a woman who can speak her mind.
As one married man described, “Sometimes, get dressed to go out
and tell him to stay home with the kids. Don’t ask him. Tell him.”
Another said something even more poignant. “I don’t think most
men would mind if a woman was the one in control at home. Just as
long as no one else knew about it.”
So begin your dating relationship with a voice. Don’t give the
impression you are spineless. Remember the scene in When Harry
Met Sally when Meg Ryan’s character takes an hour to order her
sandwich? Have an opinion. State a preference. Be polite, but don’t
be afraid to express yourself.
For example, suppose you’re at the video store deciding
between two movies to rent. Don’t get the one that you’ve already
seen. “I’ll see it again if you haven’t seen it.” Slap yourself. “There
are a lot of good movies. How about we get one neither one of us
has seen?”
If he suggests Indian food and you absolutely hate it, say, “Hey, I
heard there’s a really good new restaurant right next door.” Show
him that you aren’t afraid to make a suggestion or take the initiative.
Assume that a man wants to be a gentleman. And if he wants to be
a gentleman, he wants to please you.
The bitch requires an equivocal situation, whereas the nice girl
does not. If the guy insists on picking the movie or restaurant all the
time and has no regard for what she likes, the bitch will not have
any contact with him. It isn’t about Italian or Chinese. It isn’t about
one movie over another. It’s about whether he shows her he is
selfish. This is a character flaw the bitch won’t tolerate.
This is a silly example, but I’ll offer it because evidently it
worked. A Swedish girlfriend of mine named Anna recently had
dinner with a man, and he ordered two lobsters. The waiter brought
the two live lobsters to the table and asked, “Will this be okay, sir?”
My friend is not a vegetarian, but she grew up with a couple of pet
frogs in Sweden and was alarmed to see the lobsters’ little legs
kicking. She said, “I just couldn’t sit through the next five minutes
knowing these two things would be boiled alive,” and she insisted
that he change the order.
Anna would have bet her life savings that this guy would never
call her again, but he did. He called almost every day that week. He
wanted to please her more than he wanted lobster. That’s a
gentleman. I’m not saying the lobster example is a trick you should
try at home, but it’s far better than the Eddie Murphy bride who
said, “Whatever you like.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #19
More than anything else, he watches to see if
you’ll be too emotionally dependent on him.
It isn’t that a man wants a woman who is “bitching” all the time or
complaining about everything that’s wrong in her life. He wants a
woman who isn’t afraid to disagree or express an opinion.
When he asks on the first date, “What do you like to do?” don’t
shrug and say, “Um. You know. Stuff” You don’t need to say you’ll
bungee jump, climb mountains, and then come home and have sex
all night. But show him that you have an “appetite for life.” Your
life.
It’s all in how you describe things. “Occasionally, (yawn) I pick
up a book.” This not the same as “There is this amazing book I’m
reading by Susan Faludi, and it’s so intriguing. She’s such an
incredible writer.”
To better understand why men are put off by needy women,
keep this example in mind. Ever had a girlfriend who always comes
around when she is upset over some guy? In between relationships,
she is nowhere to be found. After not hearing from her for two
months, she cries on your shoulder when the guy blows her off.
Then you don’t see her again until the next guy dumps her.
Eventually you won’t want to be around her because you won’t
feel as though she is contributing to your friendship. That’s how a
guy feels when you are too dependent on him. It becomes a burden
if you lean on him too much. He is only human, and he has his own
problems. Show him that you’ll be an equal partner, which means
that you also have something to contribute.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #20
He must feel that you choose to be with him,
not that you need to be with him. Only then
will he perceive you as an equal partner.
The mere fact that the bitch can throw a little weight around or
put him in his place once in a while gives him the impression she
doesn’t need to be with him. She can stand on her own two feet.
So, instead of feeling as if he’s lost his freedom, he feels as though
he’s gained a strong woman. The relationship is a contributing force,
rather than an obligation he’s stuck with.
This is also why giving him space is so important. It makes you
look proud rather than desperate. It enables you to remain a
challenge indefinitely. Why? You chose to be with him. You didn’t
need to be. As a person, you feel you are complete with him or
without him. This is the most important thing you can convey:
independence rather than dependence. This is what gives him the
perception you can hold your own.
3
THE
Candy
STORE
How to Make the Most of
Your Feminine and Sexual Powers
“Sex is like a small business.
Ya’ gotta watch over it.”
—MAE WEST
One Jujube at a Time
If you look at the run-of-the-mill survey of what men find attractive
in a woman, you’ll get the basic, boring, predictable answers:
“Studies have concluded that what men look for is . . . appearance,
chemistry, and the way a woman carries herself.” What a shocker!
Then you turn the page. “Buy a new lip gloss . . . pluck out all
your eyebrows and draw them back in . . . stick three vials of
collagen in your glossed-up lips . . .” And this will get him eating out
of your hand, right? Not in this life. You’ll be right back where you
started but with no eyebrows.
Ever wonder why you see a gorgeous guy marry the girl-nextdoor?
To your eye she looks plain, but to his eye she’s a “natural
beauty.” It doesn’t matter if her most glamorous moment was
winning the Miss Pumpkin Patch contest on a farm at age six. When
he goes to bed with her, he’s happier than a fat rat in a cheese
factory.
In general, there are two things a woman does to encourage a
man to fall madly in love after he is attracted to her. First, she
appeals to his imagination, sexually. Second, she waits a little while
before consummating the relationship, sexually. This brings us to the
“candy store” theory: Don’t give up the candy store at once.
Give it one jujube at a time.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #21
If a man has to wait before he sleeps
with a woman, he’ll not only perceive her
as more beautiful, he’ll also take time
to appreciate who she is.
What men don’t want women to know is that, almost
immediately, they put women into one of two categories: “good time
only” or “worthwhile.” And the minute he slides you into that “good
time only” category, you’ll almost never come back out.
It’s not that the bitch is slutty or more conservative—it’s that she
demands that he treat her as though she is “worth-while.” And,
more often than not, it means revealing her sexuality a little at a time.
With her demeanor, the bitch is subtly “driving that train.”
Because he perceives her as slightly standoffish, he knows a lot of
other men can’t get to her. In fact, he’s not even sure if he can have
her. So he’ll rarely get the luxury of being able to assume that she’s
a “good time only” companion.
The doormat is more likely to be perceived as a pushover
sexually because she’s more likely to sleep with a man for the
wrong reasons—and much too soon. It has nothing to do with
whether she appears conservative. Whether her style is long skirts
and a ponytail and she attends napkin-folding class—or she wears
sexy clothes and seems like a party girl—the out-come can be the
same. In either scenario, if she has sex with a man because she feels
she needs to do so in order to win him, he’ll sense it and begin to
lose respect for her.
A man named Brad described this distinction: “There are two
types of sexy. The woman who is obviously trying to be sexy. Then
there is the woman who isn’t trying to be sexy—she just is. Most
guys find the second one to be much sexier. It may not seem like
that, because the woman who is trying hard will get you to do a
double-take because she’s more obvious about it. But the woman
who isn’t trying is sexier. And that’s the girl you’ll take seriously.”
What is more interesting is that Brad is just out of college. And if
a guy in his early twenties saw this with 20/20 vision, rest assured—
so will most men you meet.
The following table shows how a man can quickly make these
observations with relatively little information. Note that both types
of women exude sexiness, yet one appears needy and the other
doesn’t.
A “GOOD TIME ONLY” WOMAN VS. A “WORTHWHILE” WOMAN
She talks a lot about sex on
the first date or in the first
phone conversation.
She flirts more subtly and
uses body language to
convey her sensuality.
She wears an outfit that is
very short, showing leg,
cleavage, and back. Her
sexuality is overstated. She
follows the pattern of what
he sees all the time.
She shows one physical
attribute. Or she wears
something that’s slightly
sheer. Her sexuality seems
like it’s a part of who she is.
It doesn’t seem forced.
She compliments him
incessantly or hangs all over
him.
She keeps him interested
by giving him compliments
when he’s hoping to have
sex, so he feels he’s “in the
game.”
She wears a black lace
teddy for him on the third
date, leaving nothing for him
to imagine.
She hangs the same nightie
on the back of her bathroom
door, so he sees it when he
uses her bathroom. Then his
eyes almost burn a hole
through her clothes as he
imagines seeing her in it.
On the second date she
invites him in. He promised
they’d “just cuddle.” They
end up sleeping together;
but she ends up feeling
insecure about it. He has
They kiss passionately at
the door. She’d love to invite
him in, but she controls her
own urges and tells him
insecure about it. He has
then had the whole candy
store.
good night on her porch.
The spark fizzles. The spark doesn’t fizzle . . .
it ignites.
How long should you wait before having sex? As long as you
can. At the very least, keep it platonic for the first month. This
tactic gives you time to learn about him. You don’t want to wait
until after you sleep with him to learn he’s married. Or that he has
an ex-girlfriend who has chronic car problems and regularly needs a
lift. Or that his first cousin recently dumped him when he cheated on
her with her older sister.
Giving up the candy store one jujube at a time isn’t about being
celibate or virginal. It is about ensuring that you look out for number
one. It ensures that the man develops a habit of putting forth effort
so that you are treated the way you want to be treated.
Not having sex right away is about playing your cards right so
that small things matter. This is when he’ll get a chill down his spine
because you gently hold his hand in a public place. Or he’ll call you
several times just to get a glimpse of you. And in his mind, you are
the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen. It’s all about having that
magic spark. And men live for that spark.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #22
Sex and the “spark” are not one and the same.
A Sweeter Victory
If a man feels as though he has to win you over first—sexually with
his manliness, wit, or charm—he will place a higher value on you.
Men are possessive. He likes knowing that other men cannot easily
get to where he is trying to go. Like he’s Captain Kirk and
Christopher Columbus all wrapped up in one, he wants to explore
new terrain not trampled on by too many men before him. And he
judges whether you make “the rounds” by one thing and one thing
only: how quickly you give it up to him.
It is true that there are those rare “chance” liaisons between two
people who are generally not promiscuous, and it ends up working
out well. But this is the exception, not the rule.
One of my closest girlfriends, Brittany, is a pharmacist and a
beautiful “worthwhile” woman with a lot going for her. Almost
always, she sleeps with a man on the first couple of dates.
Recently she slept with a guy she really liked. Right after they had
sex, he appeared to be in his own thoughts. Then he looked at her
and asked, “Do you do this with all the guys?” She recalled how it
made her feel: “I was mildly insulted!”
If you have sex immediately with a man, he’ll say to himself, for a
short while, “She just couldn’t resist me!” But then he’ll begin to
scratch his head and wonder how many other men you also
couldn’t resist.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #23
Before sex, a man isn’t thinking clearly and
a woman is thinking clearly. After sex, it
reverses. The man is thinking clearly
and the woman isn’t.
When sex happens at lightning speed, the man has achieved what
he wanted. The reason he thinks more clearly after sex is that he’s
relieved and has already attained his goal. Meanwhile, the woman is
just starting to pursue her goal. She has unfinished business. Then
she chases him . . . and he runs.
Like it or not, in the beginning you’re subtly negotiating the terms
of your relationship. And if you strike a deal too soon, you give up
all your bargaining power. The bitch takes her time deciding
whether the man is someone she wants to strike a deal with in the
first place. And she won’t be a pit stop or a notch on a belt.
At first, he wants to sleep with you. He doesn’t care what you do
for a living. He doesn’t care what kind of car you drive. He doesn’t
care that you like a doughnut and coffee in the morning with Equal
and nonfat milk. So you have to turn it into something else.
When you make him wait, he begins to notice that you are
“different.” And that’s when he begins to care that you like nonfat
milk, not cream, in your coffee.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #24
Every man wants to have sex first;
whether he wants a girlfriend is something
he thinks about later. By not giving him what
he wants up front, you become his girlfriend
without him realizing it.
Men like the game that women find maddening. Picture the
following scenario: A red-blooded American male is watching a
Super Bowl game in which the score is 47 to 3. That’s not very
exciting, right? But if he’s watching a Super Bowl game that goes
into overtime—now he’s on the edge of his seat for three hours. His
team triumphs and he starts screaming: “Yes! Yes!” His favorite
sports idol on TV is now spanking everyone else on the rear while
he’s breaking out the drinks for a celebration.
Ten years later, if you were to ask him about that game-winning
final play, he’d describe it as though it happened yesterday. The
same thing happens when a woman gives herself over slowly. He
becomes much more excited about it.
This may sound “old school,” but rest assured it is advice based
on countless interviews I conducted with men, both young and old.
A perfect example is Nathan. He just turned twenty-five, and he
does pretty well with the ladies. Here’s what he had to say, wordfor-
word:
If she gives it up too soon, we stop with the romance and
we stop working at it. And truthfully, we’d rather be
working hard at it. We enjoy playing the game, and if it
ends too soon, we’re disappointed. We even struggle
inside, subconsciously. We know we want to get it, but we
know we want the girl to make us wait. Otherwise, it’s a
one- or a two-time thing. And then you move on.
Granted, there are some men who don’t want to invest any
effort. These are the men who subscribe to the “three-date rule.”
This rule holds that if a woman doesn’t put out by the third date, the
man should stop pursuing her altogether.
There are men who truly want to find a woman they can spend
time with. However, the “three-date rule” is for men who have ruled
out this option entirely; they just want to hit and run. If a man leaves
because he didn’t score by the third date, it’s a clear signal he
would have left after getting it anyway.
The nice girl is more likely to feel obligated, pressured, or
manipulated to sleep with a man early on. She sleeps with him and
then believes she’ll hook him with great sex, as though what she has
to offer sexually is “golden.” The bitch understands that the sex only
becomes “golden” when he doesn’t get it right away.
Don’t be misled by the fact that men want it quick and they are
accustomed to having it be easy. If given the option, most men
would love to know how much it would take—the bottom-line
dollar figure—to get a woman into bed. It’s almost as if there is an
unspoken transaction between the guy and the nice girl, in which a
bartered transaction takes place: “Lookie, here. I’m willing to spend
the equivalent of two dinners, a bouquet of flowers, and a movie—
for a grand total of $255.92. And not a penny more.”
He budgets how much he can spend and wants to know how
much it will cost.
The bitch is smarter. She knows that if he’s not pursuing her,
he’ll pursue someone else. So whatever his budget is, large or small,
she makes sure it is spent on her and on no one else. In her mind,
she’s the best investment he’ll ever make.
The “three-date rule” will fall on deaf ears with the bitch. She’ll
let the guy walk—and she won’t barter. He will end up marrying the
woman who doesn’t play by his rules; she plays by her own. Since
she has no problem allowing the words See ya later to trip lightly
off her tongue, he usually doesn’t feel as if he can get away with
disrespecting her.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #25
A man intuitively senses whether sexuality
comes from a place of security or from a place
of neediness. He knows when a woman
is having sex to appease him.
Unlike the nice girl, the bitch believes that she has much more to
offer than just her sexuality. So she has sex when the feeling strikes
her—if and when she’s comfortable with the relationship. She is
plenty sexy, which is precisely why she doesn’t throw it out there as
if it’s all she has.
After they consummate the relationship, this doesn’t change. He
is still unable to predict when he will make love to her. He doesn’t
know if it will happen Tuesday or Wednesday. Or Saturday or
Sunday. So the mystery and the chase never go away, and he never
quite feels he has fully conquered her. And that is because when she
has sex with him it’s on her terms.
When sex happens early on because the nice girl wants
desperately to hold on to a man, his behavior changes completely
The dinners, the candlelight, the flowers—it all comes to a
screeching halt. Instead of taking her out to dinner and a movie,
now he’s dropping by unannounced with a video because he
already knows what’s going to happen.
However, when a woman makes him wait and he’s romantic
over time, the dinners and the flowers keep on coming. Why?
Because he formed the habit of treating her with respect before he
got what he wanted.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #26
Bad habits are easier to form than good ones,
because good habits require conscious effort.
Waiting encourages this effort.
A quality guy will stick around as long as he is being reassured in
two areas: He wants to know that he is sexually desirable to you,
and he wants to see signs that he is still in “the game.” As long as he
can see the light at the end of the tunnel, he’ll continue to make his
way down the tunnel.
However, it won’t take much for him to get a mixed message or
to feel he’s being teased. Therefore, the next section will help you
with the delicate balancing act you’ll need to perform so he does
not feel as though you are teasing him.
The Jujube Installment Plan
As you’re making a concerted effort to keep the relationship out of
the bedroom, remember his objective will be different than yours.
You want your feet on the floor; he wants them in the air.
It’s not necessarily helpful that you absolutely dig the guy and that
you are just as turned on as he is. Giving him a mixed message will
be easy, because he’s ever so sexy and he’s trying to seduce you.
And he’ll be on the lookout for any signal whatsoever that you’ve
given him a green light. So it’s important to keep the signals very
clear:
Red means no.
Green means go.
Yellow means you’re a tease, which will piss him off.
For example, perhaps your top comes off, or there’s a little bit of
grinding action while you’re kissing on the couch. A few minutes
later, he’ll think you’re ready to roll. This is not the time to say,
“No, I’m just not ready.” Telling him this is like taking candy away
from a child after you’ve already let him taste it.
You can’t titillate him to the point of no return and then say, “No,
I just don’t feel right about it.” He’ll be thinking, “How do you not
feel right about it when you’re topless, you’ve been grinding me for
an hour, and your pants are unbuttoned?”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #27
If you pull the sexual plug at the last
minute, he’ll label you a tease.
This is where we get the term hot and bothered. After he’s no
longer hot, he will be pissed off and “bothered.” He’ll have far less
desire to engage in the game because you’ve taken all the fun out of
it. He no longer thinks you are playing fair, and his feelings will
change from lust to resentment. If he feels he’s being teased, he
may stop pursuing you altogether.
Think about it. You can’t show a dog a T-bone steak for an hour
and then throw him a celery stick. If you want a man to respect you,
you have to play fair.
The following guidelines will allow you to delay the time before
you have sex without being perceived as a tease:
In the beginning, try not to be alone at his place or at
yours, especially very late at night.
Do things socially that require that you to meet
somewhere in public. Or have him pick you up and
then have somewhere to go.
Do fun things during the daylight hours. If you go
biking, it will seem like a red light. But if you’re both
wrapped up in a blanket in front of a fireplace with a
bottle of wine at midnight, he’ll assume you’ve given
him a green light.
Give kisses that are sexy and sensual. But do it while
you’re out, where it is unlikely to last too long. Don’t
get him worked up when you’re alone together, while
rolling around on the floor, a bed, or the couch.
The first few times you go out, he may want to come
in late at night, after your date. If you think he’s going
to make a move but you aren’t quite ready, abort the
mission at the door. If you live in an apartment
building, say good night in the lobby. “Thanks so
much, I’ve had a great time.”
Smile a lot, laugh at his jokes, and be good company.
You want him to think of you as a friend as well as a
lover. It’s a great sign if he babbles on about himself,
especially if he’s a little nervous. If he likes you, he’ll
want to open up.
Flirt in moderation. Be careful of sexual joking
because it’s never really a joke. A lot of times men
will use humor to see where the parameters lie. Don’t
be a prude—you can laugh at the jokes and be
playful. But don’t stay on the subject of sex for a long
time, or he’ll view it as a green light.
Compliment him. Let him know he’s desirable to you.
For example, lean close and smell his cologne when
he gives you a hug. Or tell him he looks gorgeous.
This subtly confirms you choose to wait for reasons
that have nothing to do with his desirability.
Show that you are affectionate and loving. Hold hands
or put your head on his shoulder so he feels manly.
Rub his leg lightly while you are at the movies. But
don’t tease him; this means stay close to the knee.
Don’t graze private areas or he’ll see a green light.
Try not to get into heavy petting in the car when he
drops you off, or he’ll want to get busy. Even the guy
with the new BMW who makes you wipe your feet
before sitting on his leather seats won’t hesitate to
get some “play” in his car. That’s why he bought it in
the first place.
If it’s late at night, don’t say, “Okay, come in . . . just
for a minute.” Don’t ask him to come in to meet your
cat, Cushy. Don’t offer coffee. Don’t offer tea. Don’t
show him your remodeled place. There’s no such
thing as “just for a minute” after midnight.
Don’t let on you are pacing it, even though you are.
Don’t ever tell him he’ll be waiting at least a month.
Don’t indicate whether he’s “getting warm” and try not
to give him a threeday weather forecast for predicting
that you’ll soon be ready. Just don’t create the
opportunity for something to happen if you aren’t
ready to allow it to happen.
Don’t believe him when he says, “We’ll just cuddle.”
Even if you’ve known him for a long time and he’s a
perfect gentleman with extraordinary restraint, the
objective is not to tease him.
Be affectionate in public. It’s generally pretty safe,
because it can’t go any further.
A textbook example of a sexual mixed message happened with
my friend Pam. Last winter, she invited a guy to come into her home
after a date because it was really cold in his car. She made hot
chocolate and put on comfortable baggy flannel pajamas. They
started to kiss. She assumed the flannel pajamas were so
conservative that he wouldn’t perceive it as an invitation to have
sex. She was surprised to discover that he had much more than hot
chocolate on his mind.
Bedroom clothes are b-e-d-r-o-o-m clothes to a man. Wearing
something cozy that you sleep in (even ugly boxers or flannel
sleepers) will be perceived as a green light.
Even though he’ll subtly pressure you, if he really likes you, a part
of him deep down will want you to make him wait. He wants to
believe you are “different.” He wants you to think he is neat, cool,
and handsome. He wants you to laugh at his jokes and think he is
funny. He wants a goddess. He wants . . . Wonder Woman.
So how do you give him this impression? Simple. Let him pursue
you and don’t give yourself over too easily. Throw on a pair of gogo
boots and suddenly you become the Wonder Woman of his
dreams.
The Sweet Spot
When a man and a woman become lovers, there are still behaviors
that differentiate the doormat and the dreamgirl.
One of the biggest mistakes the nice girl makes is she competes
with other women. She may ask him about another woman in the
room, “Is she pretty?” Or, she may be competing with whatever she
thinks he fantasizes about: a model, a centerfold, a stripper, or a
porn star.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #28
If he makes you feel insecure,
let your insecurity be your guide.
It’s often said that a woman doesn’t reach her sexual peak until
after she turns thirty. It takes a lot of women until then to overcome
their insecurity or the feeling that they have to compete with other
women. Sex becomes better because she can tell him what she
likes. She’s more secure. She’s more assertive. She can let go
because she is not self-conscious.
A lot of women feel pressured to live up to an ideal. Or they feel
that in the bedroom they have to put on a riveting performance. I’ve
even heard some men critique women and say, “The louder she
screams, the better.”
A look at how widespread pornography has become only
confirms how unrealistic the standards have become. Even porn
movies utilize fake “voiceovers.” This means that the girl screaming,
“Yes! Yes! Give it to me, yes!” is often a fully dressed 400-pound
woman who is sitting on a stool in a studio and screaming into a
microphone.
The bitch doesn’t usually define herself by outside standards. But
often, women who are too nice are too busy trying to measure up.
When a woman is too concerned with performance issues in bed,
she completely forgets why she’s there in the first place. It’s not
sex; it’s “animation” time.
How to Fake an Orgasm—
The Animated Guide
Arch your back at a 45-degree angle and pant like a dog.
Recite a couple of bad lines from a B-rated blue movie. Example:
Tell Big Poppa he does it for you like no one else can.
And the basics: “Yes, yes, yes . . . harder, harder. . . don’t stop!”
Then you’ll want to immediately slap the nearest pillow.
Mix it up. This means sometimes you’ll want to slap the pillow then
scream, other times you want to scream first, then slap the pillow.
Men love variety.
Don’t forget to suck your finger.
Now for show and tell: Ask him whose “it” is, and tell him that it’s
his!
If he switches positions, stops for a rest, or reaches for a drink of
water, pay no attention and keep screaming anyway.
Now for the alleged orgasm: Scream like a ban-shee, and begin
those Kegel exercises. Squeeze . . . release . . . squeeze . . .
release.
And after sex, don’t forget pillow talk. You’ve had two men before
him. (Okay, three, tops. But that’s your final offer.)
WARNING: If your man sees this page, it could have an adverse effect
(erectile dysfunction).
A bitch is far less likely to put on a “cartoon” show. She is much
more honest. She asks for what she wants. If he doesn’t do it right,
she won’t encourage him by giving disingenuous feedback. Yet then
he doesn’t learn how to please her, and that won’t work because
the bitch rightly cares about her own pleasure.
I don’t recommend that a woman fake an orgasm. This little
lesson is a satire on the pressures women feel to perform. If a man
makes you feel as though you are on stage competing in a pageant,
don’t sleep with him.
It is much more of a turn-on to a man when a woman is able to
be herself and she’s honest about what she likes and dislikes. A
man loves watching a woman get off; it’s an automatic turn-on. And
that’s much more important than putting on an award-winning
performance.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #29
A quality guy fantasizes about a
woman who genuinely loves sex.
Half of pleasing him is getting off yourself, not faking it. It’s true
that a man’s ego has to be stroked and properly dealt with, but
that’s what your satisfaction accomplishes. The same principle that
holds true outside the bedroom holds true inside the bedroom: The
bitch can better please him because she is more concerned with
pleasing herself. He knows without question that she loves every
minute of it. And this feeds his ego like nothing else can.
The nice girl will also make the mistake of being disingenuous in
other ways. For example, suppose she sleeps with him on the
second date and he asks how many lovers she’s had. She gives the
oldest line in the book: “I’ve only had three lovers.”
The bitch will not go there. She won’t sleep with a guy right away
and then try to give the almost-virgin shtick: “I’ve only had three
lovers . . . the first one hurt . . . the second wasn’t as good as you .
. . the third one had three inches and thirty seconds of fury . . . and
the fourth . . . uh, oops . . . there wasn’t a fourth. Okay, yes, there
was a fourth. But we didn’t go all the way, so it doesn’t count . . .
the fifth one doesn’t matter either because I was drunk . . . .”
If you tell him you’ve had three lovers and you are over the age
of a fetus, he’ll know you’re a straight-up liar. Show him with your
actions that you are a classy woman by letting him wait. And if he
pries or wants to know about your private life say, “I probably
haven’t been with as many men as you’ve been with women.” If
you become defensive as if you have something to hide, up goes the
red flag.
What do you do when he boasts about his past conquests? The
last thing you want to do is listen, because you’ll get the
embellished version—and you might actually believe some of it is
true.
The bitch is the woman who will look at her watch in an effort to
drop a hint when he brings up another woman. She already knows
what she has to offer is enough—take it or leave it. And if he
doesn’t change the subject by the time she’s done winding her
watch, she will. “Honey, I’m not one of the guys. Please don’t tell
me about other women you’ve been with.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #30
Any time a woman competes with
another woman, she demeans herself.
Remember, inside the bedroom as well as outside the bedroom,
men are used to women who are insecure, which is all the more
reason to be different. You need to exude the attitude that you are
confident and that you aren’t concerned with whether you measure
up or whether another woman can steal him away.
If the subject of other women comes up, casually throw this into
one of your conversations: “If any woman can steal a guy away
from me, then she can have him because I wouldn’t want him
anymore.” Then smile, take a sip of your wine, and change the
subject. “Seen any good movies lately?”
If you don’t trust him, stop seeing him. But until he gives you a
reason not to trust him, behave as though you trust him. It will make
you look secure with yourself as if you are saying with your actions,
“Well, of course, you want to be with me!”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #31
When there is that undeniable “spark,”
there is only one key to the lock.
A quality guy wants to feel trusted because it makes him feel as
though you believe in his character. Until he gives you a reason not
to trust him, trust him. If he’s falling in love with you, he won’t tell
you he wants to be with you exclusively— you’ll automatically
know. He’ll be calling you every day and he will insist that you date
only him. Because he won’t want anyone else coming near his
dreamgirl.
4
Dumb
LIKE A FOX
How to Convince Him He’s in
Control While You Run the Show
“I have an idea that the phrase
‘weaker sex’ was coined by some
woman to disarm the man she was
preparing to overwhelm.”
—OGDEN NASH
The Dumb Fox Handles His Ego with Kid
Gloves
In the last chapter we touched on why power is intoxicating to a
man in the very same way that romance is intoxicating to a woman.
And now . . . a closer look.
In order to motivate a man to give, he must feel good when he
gives. He wants to feel appreciated and revered. Ego is the reason
men go to war. It’s the reason they build large corporations. Ego is
the reason they stick needles in their butts at the gym before lifting
heavy weights. It’s the reason they beg, steal, and borrow. And ego
is the reason they fall in love.
The explanation may sound obvious, but it’s not: A man needs to
feel “manly.” That’s why he won’t stop to ask for directions. It
doesn’t matter if you tell him that six exits ago he was supposed to
go west. He’ll still push the pedal to the metal and hightail it in the
opposite direction. Men don’t get lost. They merely . . .
“Get familiar with another area.”
“Change destinations.”
“Look to see what is down another street.”
“Explore new terrain.”
He’s never lost. No, Inspector Gadget is merely “checking things
out” in every last square foot of a 37-mile radius that is outside the
intended destination.
If you want him to turn right, tell him “I think it might be to the
left.” In a man’s mind, his navigation skills will always be superior to
a woman’s. It’s all about his ego, which has no direction and no line
of rotation.
The three words guaranteed to turn any man on? “You are right.”
You’ll never convince him otherwise, so don’t bother trying.
Let him be right. You be smart. This is precisely the reason the
dumb fox lets a man think he’s in control. When you appeal to his
feeling of power, you “charge up his batteries.” Then you’re giving
him what he needs and he doesn’t even know it.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #32
Let him think he’s in control. He’ll automatically
start doing things you want done because he’ll always
want to look like “a king” in your eyes.
A couple of times a week when he’s kind or generous, let him
know he’s the top dog. Make him feel as though he’s the alpha-dog
and the Grand Poo-Bah. He wears the pants, and he is the man.
Meanwhile, guess who is getting her way?
My friend Annette learned this the hard way. She made the
mistake of telling her new boyfriend about how she had killed a
snake in her backyard. He asked her, “How in the world did you
kill it?” She went on in detail about how she used a very large
shovel to “do battle.” A look of complete and utter horror came
over his face as she gave him a graphic play-by-play of the brutal
“massacre.” Later that night, he couldn’t get an erection.
An obvious “penile” code infraction: When you act too much like
Tarzan, he feels too much like Jane. Don’t even kill a bug when he’s
around. Don’t change a tire. In fact, don’t even change a light bulb.
(Heaven forbid, sister.)
For any red-blooded male, the feeling that he is the “man” is the
ticket. This doesn’t mean that you should be docile all the time. At
the same time that you show him you offer him “a mental challenge,”
remember that he needs to have his ego stroked. There is a very big
difference between catering to his ego and appearing needy. You
shouldn’t show that you “need” him to help you with:
Common sense
Coping with everyday life
Emotional stability
Reassurance of your self-worth
Self-esteem
Feeling complete as a person
These things signify neediness. However, you can show that you
need and appreciate his masculinity. He’ll absolutely eat out of
your hand when he feels that you like his “manliness” or that you
admire his . . . brawn.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #33
When you cater to his ego in a soft way, he
doesn’t try to get power in an aggressive way.
Praise is an effective tool in getting him to treat you the way you
want. Don’t complain, “Well, you used to bring me flowers.” From
this point forward, every bouquet he gives you is the “prettiest you
have ever seen.” Don’t complain that he doesn’t take you out
enough. Instead, every restaurant he takes you to is “unbelievable”
or “amazing.”
When he asks if you’ve been to the restaurant before, don’t tell
him about the two ex-boyfriends who took you to the very same
romantic corner table you are now sitting at. (Unless you never
want to go back to that restaurant again.)
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #34
When you appear softer and more feminine,
you appeal to his instinct to protect.
When you appear more aggressive, you appeal
to his instinct to compete.
Whenever you give a man the impression that you want to “wear
the pants,” you’ll almost always have a battle on your hands, in
which case, congrats—you’ve become his opponent. If he
competes, he plays to win at your expense, and good luck getting
anything that way.
Men need a little coaching, and the way to coach them is to
praise them when they behave well. A man’s favorite word? “Best.”
It doesn’t matter if you say, “Honey, you eat those beer nuts the
best—like no one I have ever met in my life.” Use the word best,
and you’ll always have his full attention.
Make friends with his ego. For example, suppose you live
together and he wants to help decorate. Chances are at some point
he will have a need to “express” his virility by hanging something on
the wall. (Something that clashes with everything.) When he
gleefully breaks out those elephant tusks, the African sword, or the
1986 Super Bowl poster that he calls “art,” keep a straight face and
appear sincere. “Yes, honey, Grandpa’s eighteenth-century rifle is
to die for!” Then immediately enlist his “much needed help” in
decorating the garage or the basement.
Want him to pitch in around the house? Just make him feel
needed (i.e., powerful). Give him little assignments. It doesn’t
matter if you ask him to program the VCR or help hang a photo on
the wall. When he uses that noisy electric drill, he will feel just like
Rambo. When the picture hangs crooked—and it will—pretend it’s
perfect. Simply wait until he leaves the room and then straighten it.
When he hands over that paycheck, thank him for working so
hard for “the benefit of everyone in the family.” Again, wait until he
leaves the room. Then review the stub to make sure that he got paid
all of his overtime.
Remember, when he behaves like a man and he treats you well,
pay a little “homage” to that ego. He should feel like Conan the
Barbarian a couple of times a week.
Whenever he does something handy around the house like
putting up a shelf, praise him. It doesn’t matter if the shelf hangs at a
45-degree angle and the stuff keeps sliding off the other end. Clap
like the happiest seal at the zoo, and then have a handyman come
over to fix it when he isn’t around. The minute you say, “It’s
crooked,” it’s all over. He’ll never do anything handy around the
house again. It will make him feel worse than a little kid who got
scolded in arts and crafts class.
Men have big egos and they need to have them stroked. This is
what the “dumb fox” does. In small ways, she makes him feel like
he is the King Kong of her world. Here are a few more dumb fox
tips on how to make him feel “studly.”
If you’re walking your dog at dusk, ask him to come
with you because you want him to “keep you safe.”
If he kills a little bug, look away. And don’t turn back
around until he lets you know he has “secured the
premises.”
If you hear a noise at night (like a bird pooping on the
roof), act really scared. Tell him to check to see “what
that noise is about.”
After he checks out the source of the noise, tell him
you like having him in the house or apartment
because it makes you “feel so much safer.”
Ask him to open a jar that you can’t open (even if you
can) or unzip your dress (even if you can reach it). Or,
you can ask him to lift a small box for you.
At a scary movie, hang on to him tightly. If there’s
violence, cover your eyes and let him tell you when it’s
over.
If it’s cold outside, crawl under his coat and hang on
to him for warmth.
Let him move a piece of furniture (even one you could
move yourself). When he does this with ease, tell him
how heavy it was. “You are so strong! Gee, I don’t
know how you moved that.”
Let him parallel park your car or back it out of a tight
spot. If you tell him he’s a “much better driver” than
you are, he’ll really be eating out of your hand. He’ll
probably wash your car or fill your tank with gas.
Handling his ego with kid gloves is as easy as learning your A-BCs.
When her child brings home a crayon drawing from
kindergarten—no matter how ugly it is—a mother doesn’t criticize
it. She’d never say, “Is that a dog or a cow? Hey kid—don’t quit
your day job.” Instead she tells him, “This is a masterpiece!” Then
the child thinks he is the next Picasso, and he draws ten more
pictures.
Praise is important. When he takes you out to eat, say thank-you
once at dinner, and again when you say good night. The nice girl
often makes the mistake of saying thank-you over and over. Then
she calls the following day to say thank-you three times on his
answering machine. As though no one’s ever bought her a hot meal
before.
In the beginning, without question let him pay for dinner. After
you’ve been dating for a while, you can reciprocate. But don’t do a
50/50 split or go Dutch—he’s not a long-lost professional
colleague.
When a man is really crazy about a woman, he isn’t concerned
with splitting a check. He won’t say, “You had the turkey salad and
I had the beef. So your total comes to…” If he adores her, he
won’t be thinking about petty cash. What he’ll be thinking about is
how he can win her over.
If he can’t afford it, suggest an inexpensive place or do something
that doesn’t cost money. Visit a museum. Go on a bike ride. Split a
dinner plate, and don’t order alcohol. However, if he asks you to
split the check on the first few dates, don’t see him again. It has less
to do with a few dollars than with the fact that he’s not very
concerned with impressing you. And that’s never a good sign.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #35
He’ll let a woman who becomes his doormat pay
for dinner on the first couple of dates, but he
wouldn’t think of it with his dreamgirl.
This conversation came up on my radio show. A caller asked if
she should let the man pay, and I said, “In the beginning, yes.” Both
my male guest and the male sound engineer jumped in and said,
“But that’s not fair.” Then I got a spelling lesson: “Fair. It’s spelled
f-a-i-r.” I see their point. But it also isn’t fair that we get sixty cents
on the dollar in the workplace, that we wear painful pushup bras
and high heels, and that we carry the babies and give birth. So let
him be the man. A gentleman.
The important thing is that when he pays, let him know at the end
of the dinner you really do appreciate it. And compliment him on
his taste in food, wine, or the restaurant. If it wasn’t good, don’t
comment.
The dumb fox knows that the less she criticizes, the better.
Which is why she doesn’t nag. Instead, she maneuvers.
For example, when he leaves his clothes on the floor next to the
bed before he turns in for the night . . . don’t worry about it. He’ll
probably get out of bed in the morning and pick them up. And then
he’ll put them right back on.
About those socks and underwear that are peppered throughout
your home? That was your fault, because you bought a hamper
with a lid. (Much too complicated.) Get a hamper with no lid and
strategically put it in a corner. Congrats. You’ve erected your very
own basketball hoop. Every time he makes a dunk shot out of his
dirty underwear? Two points.
Do you always change the toilet paper roll? Does he always get a
full roll, while you get the last crummy little square, half of which is
stuck to the cardboard? Nothing a little housebreaking won’t fix.
One Sunday morning, he’ll go in the bathroom and take his seat
with the sports section. He won’t notice the absence of toilet paper
for twenty minutes because he’ll be fixated on the stats from
Saturday’s football game. Then, when he’s finished reading he’ll
call, “Honey? Honey?! Can you hear me?!” (No response.)
This is your cue to take out the kitchen trash. After all, the sun is
shining, the flowers are blooming, and the birds are chirping. (Trivia
question: How long before he realizes there’s more toilet paper
under the sink?)
If he doesn’t help out around the house, the dumb fox doesn’t
complain and say, “You can’t put a price on what I do around the
house.” Instead, she gets an estimate from a maid service. See how
easy? Now not only does she “put a price on it,” she even pays it to
someone else.
Here’s another example of how a dumb fox might “maneuver.” A
friend named Sharon was running herself ragged trying to clean up
after her kids and her husband. She wanted to have someone come
in to help her once a week. Her husband was very opposed to
paying $50 for a maid every week, even though they could afford it.
He kept insisting on “just once a month.”
Sharon played the dumb fox and agreed to a maid once a month
—sort of. She wrote a check to the maid once a month, and each
of the other three weeks she asked for $50 in cash back when she
wrote a check at the market. Not only did this prevent weekly
arguments, he came home to a beautifully cleaned house every
week.
The Dumb Fox Credo as outlined here, allows for smooth sailing
and no room for conflict:
Agree with everything.
Explain nothing.
Then do what is best for you. It will make life a whole
lot easier.
For example, the dumb fox is smart enough to save herself the
grief by insisting on separate bathrooms. First of all, the concept of
guest towels or decorative towels is foreign to men. To him, a towel
is a towel, which means a bath towel is a beach towel is a carwash
towel is an oil-changing towel. You would think he’d “spare” the
pretty one with the pink bow, but no such luck. And the towels you
use on your face? Say hello to your new floor mop.
Once in a while, you’ll come across a man who is extra clean.
But generally, sharing a bathroom with a man will be sheer misery.
Ten minutes after you’ve cleaned the sink and mirror with streakfree
Windex, he’ll come in there and spray water everywhere. It’s like
sharing a bathroom with your very own, inhouse, adopted walrus.
Scientists have not yet joined with zoologists to do a study on why it
is that men “spray.” So, until they figure it out, insist that you have
your own bathroom.
The dumb fox also cleverly divides up the personal space in the
home with the utmost fairness. She gives him 20 percent of the
closet, but “the whole garage” or basement to himself. He also
controls the lawnmower, the cars, the barbecue, and the tools.
Remember: Men are very territorial, so you’ll also want to designate
the yard as his domain in the “habitat.” It will come in handy when
you’re hogging the bathroom.
In Japan, there is an interesting motto: A smart eagle does not
show her claws. American women perceive Japanese women as
submissive because they bow to men and walk behind them in the
streets. However, Japanese men typically bring their paychecks
home and give them to their wives. The wife controls the purse
strings in the Japanese home and decides how the money is
spent.
Now we uncover the real reason why a Japanese woman may
walk behind her man in the street: It is those deep, heavy pockets
that are slowing her down. The poor thing can hardly keep up.
In addition to having to feel he’s “right,” a man needs to have
things be “his idea.” So, remember, it’s always his idea. Even if it
isn’t, convince him that it is.
When you’re in front of a group of friends and he steps in and
takes credit for something that you thought of, don’t make a fuss
over it. He needs to show that he’s the chief. Don’t correct him or
try to “show him up” in front of your mutual friends because he’ll
feel emasculated. It’s like a mommy scolding her little boy in front of
his friends at school. Publicly, he needs to “save face.”
If it’s absolutely necessary, wait until you are alone with him to
bring up something he did that may have bothered you. Address it
privately, not in front of people. If it’s unimportant nonsense, let
him take all the credit. Who cares? The dumb fox knows better.
She never starts a fight over something trivial, particularly if she
knows in advance she’ll gain absolutely nothing from winning. The
dumb fox is strong in a demure way. She stands her ground, but
she’s not a ballbuster. She employs the “Science of Compliance.”
She appears to give up power, but gains leverage in the process.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #36
The token power position is for public display,
but the true power position is for private viewing only.
And this is the only one that matters.
For all “egointensive” purposes, help him look manly in front of
other people. Let him open doors and let him address the hostess at
the restaurant. “Johnson. Party of 4.” This is just the token power
position which is meaningless.
When you are truly running the show, you don’t need to tip your
hand or flaunt it. If he is treating you like you are his dreamgirl, you
have all the power you need. Remember, feminine strength is
equally as powerful. It’s poetic justice: Men control the world, but
women control the men.
Alice, an attractive older woman who has been married for many
years, shared the following advice. “Whenever I want to do
something, I convince my husband it was his idea. I’ll say ‘Sweetie,
would you like to go to this restaurant or that one?’ He’s paying, so
I always let him think he’s the one choosing. And after we’re done
eating? I tell him, ‘What a great idea that was!’”
Most men know it’s a turn-on to a woman if they do romantic
things, but women don’t understand that giving men the feeling of
power has the same effect. It melts them like butter. It is a goodnatured
way of gaining leverage in your relationship.
Men do the very same thing. They know that we like roses. If
they never saw another rose, it would be no loss to them. They’re
as attached to the roses as they are to a plant in their office building
or a weed growing in the cracks of a sidewalk.
Most women generally won’t say no to any reasonable request
made by a man who has just brought a beautiful bouquet of roses.
When you appeal to his ego, it has the same effect. He’ll want to
remain a king in your eyes, and he’ll want to please you. Men work
their whole lives just to have a woman look at them adoringly and
say, “You’re wonderful” and “I admire you.” He’ll climb a whole
mountain just to feel admired by a woman he loves.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #37
If you give him a feeling of power, he’ll want to
protect you and he’ll want to give you the world.
Once you’re in charge of that relationship, you’re giving him what
he needs (power) and he doesn’t even know it. It works with even
the smartest men. Here’s what Albert Einstein said about his wife
on their fiftieth wedding anniversary:
When we first got married, we made a pact. It was this: In
our life together, it was decided I would make all of the
big decisions and my wife would make all of the little
decisions. For fifty years, we have held true to that
agreement. I believe that is the reason for the success in
our marriage. However, the strange thing is that in fifty
years, there hasn’t been one big decision.
The dumb fox doesn’t have to “obey” her man as in, “I promise
to love, honor, and obey until death do us part.” She has her own
rendition of the marital vows. She “promises to love, honor, and
appear to be agreeable some of the time.”
This is not a lesson in how to give up your power or become
more docile. This is a lesson in how to gain power because you
appeal to a man and make him channel his energies toward you.
Men need a little help when it comes to emotions, because they
aren’t always aware of what motivates them. You have to make him
think he’s in charge; then he’ll be much more attuned to what you
need and he’ll apply much more effort to please you. It keeps him
stimulated and it keeps his interest. Then he wants to give you the
reins; at which point, you will have all the power that you need.
The Dumb Fox Is a Clever Negotiator
Now that women are long established in the work force, men don’t
feel they’re needed as much. Even though they work as hard, they
don’t get the feeling of being appreciated as the “man of the house”
as much as they used to. As Erica Jong said, “Beware of the man
who praises women’s liberation. He’s about to quit his job.”
Women who are successful in other areas of life are often the
ones who find themselves saying, “I should not have to apologize
for being strong.” Then the following week they wonder why they
“can’t find a good man.” Because a good man wants a good w-om-
a-n. Being a bitch does not mean you lose your femininity. And it
also doesn’t mean you overtly try to wear the pants in the house. It
just means you don’t allow anyone to walk all over you.
The classic superwoman wants a relationship in which the man
and woman are “equals.” This is a nice theory, but in practice it
becomes a onesided relationship pretty quickly.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #38
When a woman acts as though she’s capable
of everything, she gets stuck doing everything.
For this reason, be careful how you set the tone in the beginning.
Never start what you don’t want to continue. If you don’t want to
cook every night, don’t start out cooking every night. If you don’t
want to go to the grocery store all the time, don’t set the pattern of
doing it all the time. Let him come your way.
In the beginning, men are so willing to make an impression, and
this is why they are especially accommodating. This is precisely
when you’ll want to help him form good habits. Later, when
everything has been done for him, he’ll be too set in his ways to
change.
For example, after a few dates you may find yourself standing
under the arch of your front door, kissing him good night. It’s a
moment to behold. The stars are twinkling, the moonlight is
breathtaking, and you both look up to find a shooting star. He’ll
barely notice your kitchen trash is under his left arm.
If a man offers to take you to lunch or dinner, let him. If he asks if
he can bring over takeout, bring on the egg rolls. If he asks to get
you something from the grocery store, let him pick up sorbet in the
flavor you like. It isn’t about him paying the three dollars. It makes
him happy to feel he’s meeting your needs. And it makes him feel as
if he’s “driving that train.” Even though you really are.
The hardest lesson for the nice girl to learn is how to receive. Let
him give to you, because part of his manhood is defined by feeling
“responsible.”
The dumb fox doesn’t give up power, she simply creates the
appearance that she does. And this very much helps her positioning
power because she gets what she wants.
Here’s a classic example. A woman I know named Michelle told
me about a man she’s seeing. On the second date, he asked her if
she’d drive to his place. She was put on the spot and then pulled a
dumb fox move. She ignored the request and very sweetly asked,
“Would you prefer to get together another night? If tonight is
inconvenient, I do understand.”
Michelle averted the question completely. She didn’t act upset or
tell him what to do. She simply gave him a couple of alternatives,
one of which is that she may not participate. Then she let him
choose.
The beauty is that the dumb fox is agreeable, tactful, and always
polite, so he thinks he’s in control (even though he isn’t). Even
though the dumb fox appears oblivious, she is very aware. It’s no
different than a successful business negotiation:
1. She doesn’t spell out where she’s coming from.
2. She’s prepared to walk away, if the terms aren’t favorable to
her.
The dumb fox does both, without words. She negotiates with her
willingness (or lack thereof) to participate. If the offer sounds good,
she says, “I’d love to.” If the offer doesn’t sound good, she
answers, “I’d love to, but I’m pooped.” She responds favorably
when he behaves like a gentleman and backs off in a subtle way if
his manners fall short.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #39
Men don’t respond to words.
They respond to no contact.
Being dumb like a fox can also defuse a situation in which he is
slightly disrespectful. For example, let’s say you’re waiting to be
seated for dinner on your first date, and he puts his hand on your
lower back— very low on your back—as in, any lower and he
knows whether you prefer to wear a brief or a thong. All you need
to do is play dumb, step aside as if it were a complete accident, and
say, “Oops, excuse me.”
Another example happened with my friend Talia. She was at
dinner and the waiter brought the check to the table. Her date made
a joke to the waiter about giving the bill to her and then looked at
her to get her reaction. She titled her head side-ways and looked
confused as if to suggest that she’s never heard anything like this
before. Then she started to blink as though she might have been
hallucinating.
The dumb fox doesn’t spell things out. The nice girl, on the other
hand, makes the mistake of wearing her heart on her sleeve almost
all the time. As one man named Paul said, “Women talk too much.
If she’s upset, she’ll go on and on. I’d rather get into a ring with
Mike Tyson for six rounds than hear a woman repeat herself over
and over.”
Think about the last time a man spilled his guts. At first it feels
like “bonding.” But the novelty wears off very quickly. Men want
bonding, sure— below the waist.
The two-hour phone calls you love are a big mistake. He likes it
the first time because he knows you’re interested. After that, he
hates it. Don’t let conversations on the phone last too long. Don’t
let yourself be perceived as a tiresome obligation. Keep the phone
calls short and sweet—and he’ll never get tired of calling.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #40
Talking about the “relationship” too much
takes away the element of the “unknown”
and thus the mystery.
When you aren’t needy, you don’t require a play-by-play from
the sidelines about the relationship. When you are secure with
yourself, he doesn’t feel he has a 100 percent hold on you. And
when he doesn’t have a 100 percent hold on you, he eats out of
your hand.
Eliminate the following words from your vocabulary: We need to
talk. My friend Jeanette shared her observations on men with me:
“You have to sneak up on them. Feed them, get them a beer, and
then casually bring it up. Go through the back door. In and out—
before they realize what has happened.”
When men talk to each other, they say their piece and then the
other one responds. One nods. The other grunts. One takes a shot;
the other buys him a beer. The most feed-back he’ll get is a couple
of sentences. Did you blink? The “bonding” has commenced.
Most men have a concentration threshold for the “mushy” stuff
that lasts about two minutes. Right around the second minute, his
mind will start to wander. He’ll be thinking, “Man, I’m getting
hungry. I wonder what we’re having for dinner?”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #41
Men respect women who communicate
in a succinct way, because it’s the language
men use to talk to one another.
The bitch communicates differently from the nice girl. A bitch tells
it like it is in a matter-of-fact way and gets her point across
succinctly. The nice girl wears her heart on her sleeve and pours out
her guts. And what does he hear? Nothing at all. However, he does
see her neediness, which eventually turns him off.
The Dumb Fox Is More Mysterious
The dumb fox knows that familiarity breeds contempt, so she
doesn’t spill her guts on the first couple of dates. She lets the
“cream rise to the top” without rushing things.
When you first meet a man, don’t overcompensate by doing all
the talking. Don’t talk constantly out of nervousness. Keeping cool
and quiet will give you more appeal, not to mention the ability to
wield more power.
I was once on a date with a man I had just met. He began to
share all the sordid details of his last relationship. I had no desire to
listen, but I didn’t criticize him or make him feel “wrong.” I was
polite. I simply asked, “So John, what’s your workload like at the
office this week?”
The dumb fox does not ask, “May we change the subject?”
Permission isn’t necessary.
The dumb fox also doesn’t tell him about her past relationships.
You’re “a prize,” and you don’t have a long list of calamities to
report. He doesn’t need to know that your ex-husband stole your
appliances, is defaulting on his child support, and has a Mafioso
brother who is doing time for racketeering. If he’s classy, he won’t
be impressed that your last boyfriend is “still stalking you and can’t
let go.”
If he asks about your ex, you say, “We went our separate ways.”
Here’s another option: “We wanted different things.” The dumb fox
relies on a “vague generality” when he asks for information that’s
none of his business.
As far as what you disclose? Don’t volunteer bad information
about yourself. He doesn’t need to know that you’re insecure about
your thighs or that you haven’t been on a date in 7.2 months.
Inquiring minds do not need to know.
Men automatically assume that, if you’re interested, you’ll do
anything to “nail him down.” He immediately thinks you want
“exclusivity”; you want to break open the hope chest and have
babies with him. It’s important for him to think you’re different: You
are relaxed, secure, and happy with him or without him. This is
known as the happy-go-lucky formula, described in Attraction
Principle #42.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #42
When you are always HAPPY;
And he is always free to GO;
He feels LUCKY
If you want to talk about your favorite ice cream, go for it.
Traveling to Belize? Yes. Your problems at work or your
disappointing visit to the fertility doctor? No.
It’s perfectly okay to leave some of his questions about you
unanswered. In fact, it is advisable to do so. When all is said and
done, a person shows you who he or she is. No one will come out
and tell you. Therefore, what a person shows you with actions is the
only language that matters.
The Dumb Fox Is True to Herself
The fox is the smaller animal, and in the animal kingdom, the smaller
animal is the prey. Therefore, the fox knows it is incumbent on her
to look out for her own best interests, especially in the beginning of
a relationship. On the other hand, the nice girl believes everything
she’s told because it sounds good, which puts her out there to get
hurt. The fox knows that, in the beginning, a man is likely to “flower
up” his intentions; therefore, she must stay alert.
WHAT HE WON'T SAY WHAT HE WILL SAY
“I want sex and only sex, with no
strings attached.”
“I’m interested in having
a long term
relationship!”
“Give me sex, and I’ll pretend to
be your boyfriend for a week.” “Trust me.”
“Hey can I rotate you with three
other women, like a pitching
staff?”
“You are so different.”
“Wanna be the flavor of the
month?”
“I am so tired of the
dating scene.”
Trivia question: Which guy scores more women: the guy who
“flowers up” his intentions, or the guy who tells it like it is? The point
is, if he has a hidden agenda the last thing he’ll do is spell it out for
her. So it’s up to the fox to figure things out on her own.
The reason the dumb fox doesn’t reveal what she observes is
that he’ll show his true colors much more quickly when he doesn’t
realize he is being watched. When a man talks about himself or past
relationships, he may do so as a way of helping her “get to know
him.” Rather than getting into heavy question-and-answer sessions,
the fox keeps the conversation light. Why? The truest things are said
in jest. He’ll tell you everything you need to know in passing
conversation, with a joke or an off-the-cuff remark here and there.
If he’s a wolf dressed up as a sheep, his whiskers will inevitably
pop out.
When the dumb fox senses something’s “just not right” with a
man’s character, she does not bring it to his attention. The only
conversation the dumb fox has is between her two ears. As
President Lyndon B. Johnson said, “You’ve got to know when to
keep your mouth shut.”
keep your mouth shut.”
When you tell someone who may be manipulating you what you
observe, he will immediately try to talk you out of it. He’ll say,
“You’re insecure” or “You’re prejudging me.” Are you prejudging
him? You had better be. The only mistake is letting him know it.
The dumb fox is selfreliant. She judges people by her own
experiences. The dumb fox takes better care of herself and makes
better choices because she lets time elapse and she watches to see
how the man behaves. She trusts her observations and she trusts
her animal instincts.
No hunted animal gives the “benefit of the doubt.” The fox senses
danger and hightails it out of there. Never be around a person who
has shown you he is a hurtful person. If he does this by accident,
that’s one thing. But if he’s hurtful on purpose? Game over. You’ve
learned everything you need to know.
In the beginning, have fun and go out . . . but keep your cards
close to your vest. Most important, take your time. This will not
only make you smart as a fox, it will help you keep your
independence.
The nice girl loses an important protective mechanism when she
assumes that life is fair, or that Prince Charming will always protect
her. The smart fox is not governed by wishful thinking or the hope
of a fantasy outcome, like Cinderella. Despite appearances, she
trusts herself to watch her own back instead of giving a man the
responsibility of doing it for her.
It’s what every animal in the wild does to survive, so that they
don’t become “din din.” Above all, the smart fox understands—and
adheres to—the first law of nature: Every animal for herself.
5
JUMPING THROUGH
Hoops
LIKE A CIRCUS POODLE
When Women Give Themselves
Away and Become Needy
“Let us never negotiate out
of fear.”
—JOHN F. KENNEDY
A New School: Who Is the Boss of You?
When a nice girl meets a man, it’s not uncommon for her to make
concessions in her life that seem relatively insignificant. She stops
doing the routine everyday things. She stops seeing friends. She
stops going to a yoga class, and she stops playing tennis on
weekends. She stops making time for the things she did when she
was “solo.” Here’s what she does do:
She cancels a hair appointment . . . for a date with
him.
She stops going to the gym after work . . . to
accommodate seeing him.
She stops spending time with friends . . . to give him
the feeling “he is special.”
She cancels plans . . . because there’s a chance that
she’ll get a call from him.
She isn’t focused at school . . . she keeps checking to
see if a message came from him.
She isn’t focused at work . . . she keeps checking her
email to see if she received something in her inbox
from him.
She gives up her career . . . to further his career and
support him.
She stops having dreams outside of her relationship .
. . because her only dream is him.
The bitch does not stop moving to her own rhythm. This, in
and of itself, prevents her from becoming off-balance like a nice girl
who abandons her routine.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #43
If you allow your rhythm to be interrupted,
you’ll create a void. Then, to replace what
you give up, you’ll start to expect and
need more from your partner.
A classic example is Theresa. She takes salsa dance classes two
nights a week. When she met her last boyfriend, she stopped going
to her dance classes because he didn’t like to dance. She also
played tennis, but he didn’t play; so she stopped that hobby as well.
Seems harmless, right? Not really. She’s giving up what she likes.
The reason the nice girl gives up these activities is also telling of her
self-confidence. Often she gives up something because she fears he
won’t like her the way she is.
In addition, this cumulative reduction of activities eventually adds
up to a significant change in who she is. At some point the man
notices, and it turns him off because he realizes—before she does—
that she’s lost her independence.
What happens after she’s lost her independence? Let’s take a
look at the “state of the union” with Theresa, the woman who gave
up salsa classes and tennis. She said, “We spent almost every night
of the week together and fell into that pattern almost immediately.
He didn’t tell me it was ‘too much’ for him. He just didn’t smile
much and it seemed like he wasn’t happy anymore. I was becoming
more insecure and I kept trying harder to be affectionate. I just
wanted him to be like he was in the beginning.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #44
Most women are starving to receive
something from a man that they need to
give to themselves.
The nice girl thinks she’s giving up something to get something
better in return. She gives up control over her own life. When the
time comes for her to get what she had expected, she winds up
disappointed. In addition to being empty-handed, she’s depleted.
A man rarely realizes just how much the nice girl gives up. He
doesn’t make the same sacrifices because she’s adjusting her life to
be with him. After she gives up everything in her life, she begins to
demand the same of him. She wants him to stop seeing family and
friends. She wants him to spend all of his free time with her. If he
goes to the gym, she wants to accompany him.
He doesn’t feel this pressure from a bitchier woman, so he wants
to be around her more, not less, and he respects her because she
appears to have “a life.” Suppose a woman says to a guy she can’t
go on a date with him that night because of her weekly pottery
class. He scratches his head and thinks, “She’d rather go to a
pottery class than be with me?” It not only attracts him; it blows his
mind.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #45
A woman looks more secure in a man’s eyes
when he can’t pull her away from her life,
because she is content with her life.
When you love life with him or without him, that is when he will
accept and value you for who you are.
WHO IS THE BOSS OF YOU?
THE NICE GIRL THE BITCH
The nice girl dismisses
what she used to value
and what used to be
important in her life.
The bitch values her priorities,
her values, and her
preferences. Always.
He is the boss . . . of her. She stays the boss . . . of
herself
The nice girl searches
for a sign from him to
see when the closeness
is “too much.”
The bitch acts as her own
guide. She doesn’t allow him an
opportunity to be bored.
He is the boss . . . of her. She stays the boss . . . of
He is the boss . . . of her. herself.
The nice girl senses how
happy he is, paying
close attention to his
approval of her.
The bitch doesn’t obsess over
his opinion or need his
approval.
He is the boss . . . of her. She stays the boss . . . of
herself
When he’s “into it” with
the nice girl, she feels
good; when he snubs
her, she feels bad.
The bitch has more confidence,
so someone else’s mood
doesn’t have much impact.
Instead she plays tennis.
He is the boss . . . of her. She stays the boss . . . of
herself.
The nice girl treats her
interests as “little things”
or secondary.
The bitch doesn’t treat her
interests as minor little things.
They are her things.
He is the boss . . . of her. She stays the boss . . . of
herself.
The nice girl gives too
much first, and then
negotiates reciprocity
later.
The bitch gives only when it is
reciprocal.
He is the boss . . . of her. She stays the boss . . . of
herself.
When a relationship starts off at lightning speed, the man will at
some point pull back to regain his need for space and then the
woman will be left off-balance. It’s then that the nice girl appears
needy, trying to “win back” his affections. This is when she jumps
through hoops. A man loses respect for a woman who needs his
approval, particularly when she will overcompensate to get it.
A man needs to “bring offerings.” He needs to be on his toes a
little bit. He has to make sure his shoes are tied, his pants are pulled
up, and his manners are existent. When he opens car doors, when
he minds his p’s and q’s, and when he shows his best manners, it
means she has his respect. In this way, she remains a bit of a bitch
in his eyes because he has to keep himself in check; he doesn’t
relax in terms of how he behaves around her.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #46
The second a woman works overtime to make
herself fit his criteria, she has lowered the
standard of that relationship.
As long as a woman stays in control of remaining who she is, he
will need her. When a man thinks about a woman who has control
over herself, he automatically thinks about her preferences and
about ways to please her.
Women are much more likely to cancel plans. Men don’t give up
“boys’ night out.” Men don’t give up their work, or their sleep, or
their food. (Most don’t even give up their mothers.) Likewise, they
respect a woman who will hold onto what is important to her.
When was the last time you heard a guy call his barber and say,
“Yeah, Sam . . . I’ll need to cancel my 2:15 haircut. Sally and I
need to spend more time bonding.” It just ain’t happening. It
doesn’t matter if you swung from the chandelier the night before
with show-stopping sex accompanied by screaming that scared off
the alley cats. At 2:15, your man will belong to Sam. Men can shift
gears from romantic to practical—and so can the bitch. She speaks
to him in his own language.
The nice girl, however, is too needy to let go. “But he did all of
the pursuing,” says the nice girl. This may be true, but you have the
power to decide when you show up—and this is how you stay the
boss of you.
Even in a racing event, the car has to pull into the pit to have the
tires changed or it won’t be able to stay on the track, it won’t be
able to control its direction, and it will lose traction. Men don’t
always think long term, so if you let him control the speed, he’s
likely to let the relationship crash at high speed into a wall. As the
adage goes, “The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as
long.” That’s why you absolutely must set the pace and keep your
own rhythm. Otherwise, he’ll have you jumping through hoops.
Again, it doesn’t matter if he wants to see you constantly. Even if
he’s an incredible guy and you feel great temptation, don’t give
him all of your time.
In the beginning, try to see him two-thirds of the time that he
asks. For the remaining third, you have “something else going on.”
Don’t sit at home twiddling your thumbs waiting for his next call.
Keep in mind that this isn’t about “playing hard to get.” Keep it
real. Force yourself to keep the routine you had before you met
him. Once you lose your rhythm, you lose your psychological
equilibrium and you become needy.
My former roommate Gale was always very good at this. She’d
often turn off her ringer and wouldn’t take any calls. In the
afternoon, if she felt tired and wanted to stay home for the evening,
she’d cancel her date. She’d have a glass of wine and chill with a
good book or her favorite TV program. Gale always had a quality
man pursuing her.
Being a bitch isn’t about exuding a certain kind of arrogance.
Contrary to what the media would have us believe, it doesn’t matter
how “hip,” “cool,” or “cocky,” you appear to be. Power is the
control you have over yourself. In fact, when a woman is trying too
hard to be “cocky” she’s usually not moving to her own rhythm
because she’s trying too hard to convince herself that she is stronger
than she really is.
As Gregory Corso said, “Standing on a street corner waiting for
no one is power.” When you don’t wait for anyone, it’s because
you don’t need anyone. When you approach men this way, any
man who steps up to the plate will have to meet you at your level.
First, you have to stop needing his approval—only then will your
needs be met.
For example, Lynn had just started dating a plastic surgeon
named Kevin. They had separate residences, and one night she
cooked dinner for him. He called at the last minute to cancel their
preplanned dinner date because he had switched shifts with another
surgeon. Lynn had already cooked an elaborate meal. His call came
only a half-hour before he was supposed to show up. Had he called
her early in the day right after he agreed to switch shifts, she
wouldn’t have labored tirelessly.
Here’s where she made a mistake of jumping through hoops. She
offered to cook the same dinner again the following night. And she
agreed to drive to his place to do it. What she should have done is
put “the skids” on the cooking plans altogether. She should have
said, “Mmm. It’s really good, Kevin. Too bad you missed out.”
When a man treats a woman with disrespect and she takes it, he
begins to lose respect for her. Predictably, Lynn was at Kevin’s
place the following evening; he wasn’t appreciative, which hurt her
feelings. They stopped dating a short while later.
A bitch prioritizes herself over “melting” into someone else.
Because of this, her no means no, and her yes means yes. The
objective isn’t to be obnoxious but to have the ability to be clear.
You can be very nice and still be clear. A man will respect a woman
who is clear and direct about what she needs, without waffling or
secondguessing herself If a man is late for a date, for example, the
bitch will become annoyed because she is inconvenienced.
Annoyance is different than becoming emotional. She’ll say
something more along the lines of, “Don’t waste my time. If you are
going to be late, please let me know so I can make other
arrangements. I have better things I can be doing with my time than
waiting around.”
If he chooses not to respect her the next time around, she allows
fifteen or twenty minutes and then leaves without him. Her time and
priorities are important to her. At no time does she give herself up.
When you’re in this type of situation, ask yourself the following
questions: What does this look like from his vantage point? What
message am I sending by my reactions to his behavior?
Your true power, therefore, is marked by:
Realizing what your rhythm is, and moving to it
Knowing who you are, and what you will or will not
accept
Having the ability to make a decision without secondguessing
yourself afterward, and without being talked
out of how you feel
Having self-control, because true power is the control
you have over yourself
When you have control of yourself, you don’t need to be
emotional all the time. When you have a sassy “edge,” you stay the
boss . . . of you. Ironically, this is also when you become the boss .
. . of him.
From Sappy to Sassy
Whenever a woman is too emotional or sappy, it can be too much
for a man, especially with a woman he barely knows. The bitch is
sassier, which is easier for a man to deal with. It’s similar to the
rougher tone men use to speak to one another.
One man described a perfect example of how men get spooked
by too much sappy emotional talk, particularly early on in the
relationship. He was put off by receiving several tearjerking
Hallmark cards from a woman he’d just met.
Another example of this is a man who was constantly read
poems by a woman he’d just met. “They always seemed so long
and drawn out. Some of them were short and boring. But the one
thing in common is that they all sucked. ‘My love for thee.’ Or, ‘My
heart is heavy with love and it’s pushing against my rib cage.’ And
she’d cry when she read them. I started avoiding her calls.”
One man described dating a woman whom he’d known for three
weeks. He said, “A man doesn’t need to hear a woman tell him that
she loves him every thirty seconds. This woman said it over and
over again. It was like dating a cockatoo . . . Love you . . . Love
you . . . Love you . . . Love you . . . Love you!”
Men also notice if you are trying too hard to get into a
relationship. Do you have twelve sappy relationship books about
feelings on your coffee table? Do you have an ad running in the
“personals” while you pursue online dating? Do you have that one
pushy girlfriend who gives you away? You walk into your home
with him after a date and you hit the play button on your answering
machine. “Hey, girlfriend. There’s another singles event at the car
wash this Sunday. Free coffee. And I hear there’s a new batch of
divorcés coming through. The early bird catches the worm!”
Being sassy means you won’t knock yourself out. The minute
a man feels you’re trying too hard, the challenge is over. Once you
accidentally step into that arena, you have to win him back by
showing him that you won’t wait. You have a life. You have other
priorities, some of which come before him.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #47
You jump through hoops any time you repeatedly
make it very obvious you’re giving your “all.”
Don’t talk for hours on the phone before your first
date. Joke around. Be sassy. Make your plans or
arrangements to meet and then politely end the
conversation.
Don’t discuss deep issues in the beginning. Don’t
use catch phrases from therapy like cathartic,
processing, triggered, owning it, or inner child. Don’t
make chicken soup and tell him you “wanna midwife
each other’s soul.”
If you believe in astrology, don’t tell him that you can
only get together when Mercury is “tiptoeing” around
the moon, making a threeweek “retrograde” around
Jupiter (with a quick stop for coffee on Pluto).
Don’t tell him who you were in a “past life,” or what
you plan to come back as in your next one. He’ll think
your cheese is sliding off the cracker.
In the beginning, avoid seeing him more than one
night in a row. Start out seeing him one to two nights
a week.
Don’t pout or whimper when he doesn’t call. You have
to make him wonder every now and then about what
you’re doing when you’re not with him. When you
regulate the timing, it keeps him wanting and it
charges up his batteries.
If he takes you to a nice restaurant, don’t order a
celery stick “with oil and vinegar on the side,” and
then continue to nibble off his plate like a hummingbird.
Don’t be so nervous or concerned with
impressing him with your table etiquette. Have an
appetite for enjoying life.
Don’t disclose over your first dinner what you’re
“working through” from childhood.
Don’t try to fix his flaws either. I know one woman who
bought a man the book Tuesdays with Morrie. She
thought the book would help him with his
workaholism. Too much psychological analysis
comes across as too sappy.
Don’t accompany him when he goes out with his
friends. You don’t want to be one of the “boys.”
Don’t do any slow drivebys with your headlights
turned off to see if he’s at home. And no highspeed
flybys, either.
If he calls you and asks you to come over late at night
after he’s been out with his friends, don’t happily go
skipping over, kicking your heels together like Julie
Andrews in The Sound of Music.
Don’t date someone who has addictions of any kind,
hoping to “help” him by going to AA meetings with
him. Let him work out his own stuff. If he can’t treat
himself well, he’ll never treat you well.
Never call more than once in a row, even if his
machine cuts you short. Don’t leave long mushy
messages. Keep the messages friendly, but short
and sweet.
Don’t email more than once in a row or send long
emails about “feelings,” “issues,” and what you “need”
that you aren’t getting. If he sends you an email, don’t
respond within thirty seconds each and every time.
Don’t stop eating, sleeping, or exercising. Keep your
routine. If he wants to spend more time with you than
you can comfortably give, invite him to join you in one
of your activities—like a walk with your dog or going
for a weekend bike ride.
Avoid last-minute dates because you “miss him.”
Don’t walk in the door, check your messages, and
call him right back. Settle in, take a bath or shower,
eat dinner, and relax. Move to your own rhythm, and
then call back. He has to know you have a life . . .
every day.
If you’re on the phone and you get another call that
beeps through, don’t say “Stay right there. Don’t hang
up! Whoever it is, I’ll get rid of him!” When you do
come back on the line, don’t always be so quick to
report the identity of the other caller. “That was the
vet. Tigger had an earache.”
Don’t regularly travel forty minutes in traffic to see him
because you have a roommate and he has his own
place. Look at a map and take note: It’s just as far
from his house to your house as it is from your house
to his house. So don’t feel guilty about having him
come your way.
Don’t ask for affection. Don’t coax affection out of
him. Don’t give affection when he isn’t being
affectionate. If he’s ignoring you, don’t try harder.
“Honey, can I give you a backrub?”
Don’t be a slave to the phone. Don’t play his voice
message back to your girlfriend to dissect every
detail of your situation. Pay attention to the big
picture. Does he add to your life as a whole, and do
you feel good after he’s been around? (If not, “fast
forward” the message and hit “delete.”)
Don’t memorize his phone number in the first week of
dating or call him all the time and hang up. He’ll know
it’s you.
If he’s in a bad mood, make an excuse and then go
do your own thing.
Above all, make every concerted effort to stay
focused on your life. That’s how you stay sassy in his
eyes.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #48
You have to keep from being sucked down
into quicksand. Unless you maintain control
over yourself, the relationship is doomed.
Basic Bi tch 101
Basic Bi tch 101
Basic Bitch 101
A man notices something from the very first phone message that he
leaves on a woman’s answering service: whether she is trying too
hard. She may be trying too hard to impress him; she may be trying
too hard to win him over; or she may be trying too hard to be sexy.
Whether she is too needy or trying too hard, it has the same effect.
The bitch never tries that hard to make an impression.
He dials her number and the machine picks up. Beep! Then
comes the breathy voice, which sounds as if she’s half asleep.
“Hello there. You’ve reached Susan’s answering service. I am out
and about and just a little bit busy at the moment doing, well,
[giggle] . . . If you would be sooooooo kind to leave a message
after the tone, I will try my very best to get back to you as
sooooooon as I am available. Although I just got in from Portugal, I
haven’t quite unpacked yet. But if I have a free moment, I’ll call
you. Wait for the beep . . . ciao . . . ta, ta . . . kisses . . . have a
spiritual day . . . and bless you for calling me.” Beep! All she needs
is a 900 number and a pimp, and girlfriend is in business.
As men often say, “Men like a woman who is natural.” This has
nothing to do with makeup or dyed hair. Natural does not mean he
wants a vegetarian who drinks wheatgrass juice or a woman who
wears organic lipgloss. Natural implies that the minute something is
excessive it becomes a turnoff, because it looks as if a woman is
trying too hard to get the attention. Whenever a woman is trying
too hard, she is jumping through hoops.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #49
Jumping through hoops often has a negative
outcome: He sees it as an opportunity to have his
cake and eat it, too. But when you stay just outside
his reach, he’ll stay on his best behavior.
Let’s look at how one relationship unfolded when the woman
was willing to jump through hoops. It’s a classic scenario. Sarah
bought an airplane ticket to go see Mickey, a man she’d met only
once before when he had been in town for a holiday weekend.
They’d kept in touch for a month via e-mail and over the phone.
Convinced he was “the one,” Sarah decided she’d like to see
Mickey again.
The ticket cost $400. Mickey agreed to pay for the
accommodations, which ended up being $40 for a motel. After
Sarah arrived, they had sex in the motel. Then he took her to a
coffee shop with coupons that were complimentary with the room.
Afterward they had sex again— while he watched the World
Series.
A Kodak moment, isn’t it? No foreplay. No candle. No soft
music. No showering together. Instead, one eye is on the game, and
he’s listening for the score. “The count is three to two . . . and the
bases are loaded. Steeeeerike!” Any man—even one who was
raised in a jail—has sense enough to know that watching a game
while having sex is rude. Hardly a “romantic getaway” for two.
After two days of being romantic, they couldn’t wait to “getaway”
from each other.
Now let’s do a financial comparison. He got plenty of food,
plenty of sex, and he got to watch the game (not bad for $40). Her
bill exceeded $400. She did, however, get two extra packets of
peanuts on the airplane, each containing 2.5 peanuts, for a total of
five peanuts. Even if she divided them up into peanut halves, she still
wouldn’t come out ahead.
A bitch would never have put herself in this position. She would
have required that he come to see her, and she would have
suggested a hotel that is conveniently located.
When the nice girl jumps through hoops or bends over backward
and overcompensates, she does so because she has a fantasy that
he will “complete her.” To keep the spark from fizzling, it’s
sometimes best to stay ever-so-slightly just outside a man’s reach,
because it charges up his batteries.
The nice girl fails to take a “breather” because of her fantasy that
he is “the one” or her “soul mate.” But this fantasy is a liability
because it feeds a myopic view that he is the center of her life.
Another reason women rush into a relationship is fear. A woman
named Mary said, “I can’t say ‘no’ to my boyfriend. For example, I
drive to his place and I wait outside in my car until he comes home
from work. Then I eat dinner later and I stay up late even though I
have to be up early. I feel totally depleted the next day.”
I asked Mary why she doesn’t just say, “Not tonight, honey. I
really need some down time.” She answered, “Because then he
pouts. I guess deep down I’m afraid he’ll get another girlfriend.”
The bitch is not governed by fear of losing a man, because she
knows the real price to pay is when she loses herself. Almost
immediately, women give themselves up in small ways. The
cumulative effect of these subtle concessions, however, is what
amounts to feeling depleted. Here’s the cycle:
She develops a myopic view that what he gives is
absolutely vital.
Because of this fantasy, she gives up everyday
needs.
She feels more and more drained but continues to try
harder, believing that he’ll be the one to make her feel
fulfilled again.
He senses her willingness to exert herself, and
relaxes what he gives even more.
She senses this and works even harder to jump
through hoops.
The cycle gets worse, as she becomes more and
more depleted.
The solution? Lose the fantasy, And if you feel you are going to
resent something after you give it, don’t give it. Give only what feels
comfortable to give. This will enable you to stay firmly planted with
both feet on the ground.
Remember when you learned the golden rule in kinder-garten?
This was a nice theory, but in the real world we’ll need to modify it
just a bit.
LET'S REPLACE. . . WITH. . .
“Do unto others as you
would have others do
unto you.”
“Do unto others, after they show
you they are worthy”.
“Love conquers all.” “Love conquers her, when she
gives all.”
“To give is better than to
receive.” “It is better to give and receive.”
“Charity begins at
home.”
“There is no charity case in this
home.”
“All’s well that ends well.” “All’s well for those who cover
their ‘ends’ well.”
“Love thy neighbor.”
“Love thyself first, and your
neighbor will be happier living
next to you.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #50
The nice girl gives away too much of herself.
when pleasing him regularly becomes more
important than pleasing herself
Many times, when you are going through your daily life,
Attraction Principle #50 will be very subtle. For example, a woman
may have spread herself very thin between her career and her time
to herself, and she’s exhausted. He asks her out: “How about
Wednesday?” She tells him Wednesday isn’t good because of
work demands on Thursday morning. So he asks, “How about
Tuesday or Thursday?” Then she accepts. Her needs are swept
under the rug, and worse yet, she is doing the sweeping. Then she
goes out and she is cranky and irritated because she is overworked
and hasn’t rested.
The bitch doesn’t take the more difficult course; she takes the
easier course. How hard is it to suggest, “The weekend would
really be better.” It’s better for everyone involved. The bitch is her
own guide.
Cathy was on a first date when she found that the guy wouldn’t
let her order what she wanted off the menu. He kept saying, “You
have to try this . . .” She was firm but polite, and finally, he ordered
what she wanted. Then he ordered a bottle of wine after she had
said she didn’t want to “drink and drive,” particularly because it
was a weeknight. He poured her a glass and they made a toast, so
she didn’t argue. They clinked glasses and she took one sip to be
gracious, but not another sip there-after. Her glass of wine didn’t
move.
What is important in this example is that she didn’t explain
herself. She just did what she wanted to do. She didn’t need to ask
his permission to honor her own wishes, she just honored them.
Another woman I know shared a story about a man she dated.
After two dates, the man asked her to take him to the airport at 4
A.M. (yes, in the morning).
On their second date, he was coordinating while she listened.
“You could get up at 4 A.M., pick me up at 5 A.M., get to the
airport at 6 A.M., go home by 7 A.M., shower, and get to work by 8
A.M.” (The ringmaster had the poodle hoop-circuit all planned out.)
Here’s a novel idea that never crossed his mind: He could pay
seven bucks for a shuttle, rather than yank her out of bed at such a
ridiculous hour. She politely said, “I’m sorry. I’m going to be busy.”
And he said, “What do you mean busy? Busy what? Sleeping?”
She smiled and politely said, “Yes.”
If he acts as though it’s perfectly normal for you to jump through
hoops, don’t let that be your guide. Ignore what he says. When he
says, “I’m spiritual,” don’t listen. Just look at how he acts. If he said
he was spiritual, but he expects a lot of “unholy compromising,” let
your observations be your guide.
Another way a woman may jump through hoops is to “tell time”
by when a man calls. How many times have you called a girlfriend
to say let’s “hook up” and she has to wait for a call from a guy
she’s dating to give you an answer? These are always the women
who get treated poorly. She becomes depleted because she is
willing to wait “at bay,” never making plans until she rules out the
possibility “beyond a reasonable doubt” that she is seeing a man.
Then you get a call back, “Okay let’s get together,” but now it’s 10
P.M.
If you don’t hear from him in enough time to suggest he respects
your time, there is a simple solution: Don’t give him any.
Here’s an example of a woman who jumps through hoops—and
at the same time, it defies the stereotype that beauty and youth are
what are most attractive to a man. Karla was nineteen and so pretty
you could have placed her on the cover of any men’s magazine
without airbrushing. She was the one who cried on my shoulder
about the fact that her boyfriend, Bart, told her that when he goes
out with his friends he looks at the sixteen-year-olds.
Now let’s hear Bart’s version: “I’m not in love with her the way
she is with me.” He shared with me a story of when she was doing
his laundry for him in his apartment. “I was being a total jerk. You
know what she said to me? ‘After I finish your laundry, I’m going
home.’ There were three more loads, and she did them. I really
would have respected her if she had said, ‘Screw you’ and walked
out.”
A tip: When you are at his place any day of the week, don’t do
any housework. The only laundry you do is your own. The only tub
you scrub is your own. The only person you clean up after is
yourself. If his place is a mess, go to yours. If he asks you to help
him clean, be subtle. Just tell him the maidservant has the day off on
Sundays.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #51
The relationship may not be right for you if you find
yourself jumping through hoops. When something is
right, it will feel easier and much more effortless.
Just remember, it isn’t about a man. This is your life . . . and it’s
too precious to waste. Do things when it is convenient, especially if
it regards your relationships of choice and who you let in on the
“inside.” It will yield a much better return on investment . . .
especially in the dignity department.
6
NAGGING
No
MORE
What to Do When He Takes You for
Granted and Nagging Doesn’t Work
“Well done is better than
well said.”
—BEN FRANKLIN
A Lover or a Mother?
It’s a scenario that is all too familiar: a nice girl on “over-drive”
trying to please her man. He comes home from work and she tries
to have a conversation. He tunes her out saying, “I’m tired.” She
makes dinner, but he eats in front of the TV so he can watch
Monday Night Football. She tries to look pretty; he doesn’t
notice. But watch what happens when he realizes the swimsuit issue
got delivered; he almost hyper-ventilates. Diagnosis? She feels
taken for granted.
Like the bum on the street with a sign that says Will work for
food, your sign now reads Will work for attention. Well, no more
“slummin,’” girlfriend. We are under new management. Under the
old management, you dealt with his lack of attention by nagging.
And if you’ll notice, it hasn’t worked. This is why all of the steps
discussed in this chapter involve changes in demeanor. When you
nag at a man, he becomes more reclusive.
Essentially, you always want to remember that although he is a
grown man, inside there is a three-year-old causing him to have
Appreciation Deficit Disorder. Whenever you nag, you activate this
toddler, and you have a thirty second window before you’ve
activated the “little boy gland.”
It’s as easy as changing a radio station. In thirty seconds, he’ll
tune you out and won’t tune you back in until the nagging is over. It
doesn’t matter if his pants are on fire and smoke has filled the room.
He won’t hear a word you say. This is why you should
communicate with your actions . . . rather than your words. Since a
man won’t discuss feelings as a woman does, anything past the
second repetition seems like nagging. Never ask a man to do
something more than twice or he’ll feel as though he’s being scolded
by Mom. And whenever you nag, he’ll behave like a stubborn
teenager and rebel.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #52
When you nag, he tunes you out. But when you
speak with your actions, he pays attention.
Women often say, “Little boys are so sweet. What changes?”
According to Freud, it gets messed up somewhere around the
potty-training years. To better understand the origin of the “little boy
gland” and to see how a man takes a woman for granted, let’s now
turn our attention to examine the behavior of a toddler.
A three-year-old wants to be independent of Mommy, but he
also wants to take for granted that she is still right there within his
reach. So he tests to see how far he can go. The disobedient little
boy wobbles around a corner mischievously and pauses. Then he
runs back around the corner to make sure Mommy’s still right
there.
With a grown man, there’s one extra step in the middle. After he
wobbles off but before he runs back, he will turn to look over his
shoulder to see, “What will Mommy do next? Does she nag? Does
she panic? Will she chase me?” Your reaction determines whether
he’ll take one step closer or another step farther away.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #53
When a man takes a woman for granted,
he still looks for reassurance
that she is still “right there.”
Think about how futile nagging is. It gives him the reassurance
that he can continue to be distant and you will still be there. Very
little is negotiated with words. He doesn’t sit down and say, “Look,
I want to be lazy in this relationship. But I’d like you to keep
cooking me meals and I’d like you to keep having sex with me
whenever it is convenient for me. In fact, I’m a little horny right now
. . . wanna hop on?”
One would think a woman who’d accept these terms would have
to be high on crack. Yet women accept these terms every day.
Nonstop. “What went wrong?” she asks. In the beginning he went
out of his way to show her he’s a gentleman; he opened car doors,
he let her order first, and so on. So he knows how to treat a
woman. The slacking off happens gradually without any negotiation
and certainly without her consent, so she doesn’t fully realize it is
happening until things have gotten so off course. Then she nags to
try to get them back on.
Once a woman realizes a man is going into “couch potato” mode,
she often mistakenly tries to address it. “You never take me out or
bring me flowers anymore.” Or, “We never spend time together.”
This is a sign to a man that he has her right where he wants her.
Now he doesn’t participate because, in his mind, all it takes to
satisfy her is his presence. He quips, “I’m with you, aren’t I?”
To get the three-year-old to run back to Mommy, she has to stay
just outside his reach. The reason nagging keeps her within his
reach is that he senses she is “locked down” waiting for him. She
may be waiting for him to give more, participate more, or be more
attentive in some way. But she’s still waiting. On hold.
The only thing worse than him being locked in a cage is the
feeling that he has you locked in his. Hence the need for a 180-
degree change as prescribed in this chapter.
When he takes you for granted, you’ve triggered the same kind
of love he had for his mother, grandmother, or some other woman
who raised him. Now you’ve become “old faithful.” No matter how
much you scream at him, he knows you aren’t going anywhere.
“She may kick my ass, but she’ll still love me and I can do whatever
I want.” And it’s this very security blanket you don’t want him to
have.
Men know it’s wrong, but they’ll still try to see how far they can
push the envelope. As one man said to me, “Men will get away with
what you let them get away with.” That isn’t to say there aren’t
great guys out there. But a man with integrity, or anyone with
integrity for that matter, doesn’t want something they haven’t
earned. That’s why a high-caliber self-respecting guy will be
attracted to a woman who won’t let someone walk all over her.
If he takes you for granted and you pull back a little with no
explanation, it catches him off-guard and gets his attention bigtime.
You’re no longer acting in a way he is used to and you are no
longer his mommy. This action generates desire for you as a lover.
But if you posture yourself as “old faithful,” he’ll perceive you as his
mother and he’ll take you for granted.
Failure to get enough attention isn’t the only thing women
complain about. Often women nag about household chores. Again,
you have to condition him without words. Most men don’t
particularly care if the place doesn’t look great or if it’s messy.
Most guys are happy to come home and plunk down on the couch
with the wornout spot and his butt imprint on it. He doesn’t care if
the sink is full of dishes from the day before or that his shoes left
muddy prints all over the carpet.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #54
When the routine becomes predictable,
he’s more likely to give you the same type of
love he had for his mother—and the odds
that he will take you for granted increase.
When you’re standing in a grocery line and you look at people
with children, you’ll notice that the mother who has control over her
child doesn’t nag or holler. She says one sentence or she gives the
child a look. Because the child respects her and he is not sure what
will happen next, he’ll straighten up. Words are not needed to teach
a man how to treat you. A little bit of silence or distance will often
do the trick.
Sometimes as a lover you will have to set forth terms that are
also in the best interest of the “diapered one.” Why? He is a man.
And there will forever be a three-year-old trapped inside him.
All of the behavioral changes discussed in this chapter allow you
to keep a calm, charming, and pleasant demeanor. The objective is
to avoid being his mother and to make the transition back to being
his lover.
A man can’t correlate sexual feelings with feelings for his mother.
So be careful of the female figure that you become in his life. To
stay his lover, you have to keep him on his toes. This behavior
incites his interest and makes him come your way. He is happier
being your lover than he is when you become his mother. Granted,
he looks comfortable and content on the couch. But he isn’t content
when you become his mother because he no longer has a lover . . .
and neither do you.
The balance of this chapter gives you insight into how to turn
things around and bring him back to pursuit mode when his mind
drifts elsewhere. Men are hunters. What he gets from the nice girl is
a protective kind of motherly love that lessens his sexual desire. He
doesn’t pursue his mom. What the nice girl needs to understand is
that it takes the heat out of it for a man when you give him a
predictable security blanket.
Women often reassure, or try to convince, a man to win him
over. But the bitch wins him over by acting as though she could take
him or leave him. Therefore, backing off in a subtle way will give
your man renewed “pep” in his step. You can also apply the advice
in this chapter:
When he seems complacent
When he waffles about whether to be in the
relationship
When he isn’t respectful
When he repeatedly ignores what you need
Let’s get started. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200—
because sister, there will be plenty of time for that later.
Rx: Treat Him Like a Friend
Think back to the beginning of your relationship when you first met
your partner. You didn’t nag him. Chances are, you treated him
much as you would a friend. You were relaxed; you had fun and
laughed more. You felt comfortable speaking your mind. He wasn’t
the “be all and end all” of your existence.
When you started nagging, your behavior began to tell a different
story. “I’m affected by every move you make.” For this reason and
this reason alone, nagging rewards him. Not because he enjoys it,
but because it reassures him you care.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #55
Negative attention is still attention.
It lets a man know that he has you—
right where he wants you.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a high-powered litigation attorney and
can give a closing argument that makes his head spin. Nagging still
reassures him of where he stands and where you stand. It doesn’t
give him anything to worry about, think about, or mull over. It
doesn’t intrigue him or pull him in. Instead, he tunes you out.
Now you want to “talk” and he wants to do anything except talk.
And if you press the issue, he’ll shift the blame.
How to Shift the Blame . . .
The Textbook Guide
First, tell her that the timing to discuss it isn’t right. Remember, it’s
never a good time to “talk.”
Before hearing a word, tell her she took everything wrong and is
being “too sensitive.”
Get a rotation going: Monday and Wednesday she’s
“overreacting.” Tuesday and Thursday she’s “blowing it out of
proportion.” And on weekends she’s “imagining things.”
Change the subject. Say, “You’re starting your period, aren’t you?”
If this doesn’t work, pick a fight. Be very combative, but repeatedly
point out that she was the one who started the argument.
If she has six good points, and you have one semigood little point,
place all of the emphasis on your one semigood little point.
Don’t veer. Keep asking about your one little point over and over,
then demand a quick answer. If she hesitates, use this as evidence
that you are right.
If she is clearly right, find fault with her that has nothing to do with
the incident, and use that.
Be sure to create your own imaginary panel of experts (composed
of people she’s never met). Say, “Even Joe and Jim agree with me
and think you are being completely unreasonable.”
When she tries to explain the same thing in a different way, roll your
eyes.
Appoint yourself her inhouse therapist. Say, “You do this to
yourself. Why do you do this to yourself?”
Keep count of how many times she repeats herself, and be sure to
remind her.
It’s like boxing. Jab with the left; uppercut with the right. Then run . . .
As Muhammad Ali used to say: “Float like a butterfly; sting like a
bee.” Float by dodging the issue, and sting by asking why she
“can’t let it go.”
Keep dancing, and stay light on those feet.
And, remember, it’s always her fault. That’s your story, and you are
stickin’ to it.
The other thing he’ll do is tune you out completely. He can see
lips moving, but he cannot hear what you are saying. Like a remote
control in his head, you’ve been “muted.” Ideally his hope is that
you’ll “nag yourself silly” to the point of exhaustion. He figures if he
bides his time, eventually you’ll wear yourself out and go away.
Women differ in terms of how long it takes them to run out of
steam. Evidently, according to the men I interviewed, each woman
—as with clothing, perfume, and lovemaking—has her own
“personalized style” of nagging. Here are some just to name a few:
The Marathon Nagger: This woman will nag for a
longer time so she paces herself, for two to three
hours.
The Sprint Nagger: This woman will nag for a
shorter period of time. It’s a more intense burst, so
she’ll get tired much more quickly.
The Momentum Whiner: This woman will start out
with a whine and then will slowly pick up momentum,
building up to a nag. Then she’ll cry. The longer she
goes, the more momentum she builds and the less
likely she is to stop.
The Sunrise Whiner: It starts as the sun comes up
over the horizon. His eyes begin to open and he
hears his first morning whine. Or he’s still asleep, and
it wakes him like a rooster.
The Nightcap Nagger: Just as he is falling into a
deep REM sleep, she nudges him and reminds him
of something he has to do the following day
The Bushwhacker: This nagger employs the
element of surprise. She catches him offguard at any
moment in the day. One minute everything is going
along fine and then, without any warning, she jumps
out of the bushes and whacks him.
The Sniper: This is the premeditated nagger who
will make one cutting remark. It’s usually a wellplaced
shot that delivers a devastating blow.
Many times, when a man steps on a woman’s toes, he doesn’t
have a clue. She has to remember that if something happens that she
doesn’t like, he may not know any better.
Therefore, if she wants to tell him something he did that put her
off, she should stay calm. Then she should say, “Could I explain
something to you?” She needs to approach it as though he did not
intend to hurt her because more often than not he doesn’t have an
inkling.
Shaquille O’Neal said, “This is a tough game. There are times
when you’ve got to play hurt, when you’ve got to block out the
pain.” The reason that you block out the pain is that it impairs your
decision-making. Long term, how you communicate will affect his
desire for you.
If a woman is losing a man’s attention, it’s because the woman is
following a predictable routine and she’s becoming an opponent
rather than a partner. Therefore:
Nagging = A woman who is predictable = A feeling of
obligation = Decreased lust
Indifference = Less predictable response = Renewed interest
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #56
When you treat him casually as though
he’s a friend, he’ll come your way.
Because he wants things to be romantic,
but he also wants to be the pursuer.
Envisioning him as just a friend enables you to relate to him
without the heaviness or the intensity of the nagging. Don’t say,
“Hey buddy Hey, pal,” and throw down a cold beer in front of him
with a fake, peppermint-refreshing smile. Don’t offer to girl-watch
with him or chew tobacco. Don’t overdo it.
Again, treat him as you would a friend, which means exude a
demeanor that seems unlikely given the circumstances. If you’ve
been uptight, needy, or clingy, appearing casual, relaxed, and
unconcerned is the unlikely response that he would expect.
For example, if he has excuses for why he isn’t spending time
with you, you need to make excuses for why you can’t spend time
with him. Is it a game? No. If he’s too busy and you’ve already
tried telling him how you feel, it’s time to show him with your
actions that he will no longer be dictating the terms. Because his
terms will most likely continue to drive a wedge between you—and
that’s not the outcome you want.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #57
A little distance combined with the
appearance of self-control makes him
nervous that he may be losing you.
Here is a classic case in point. You want to see more of him and
you suggest going away for the weekend together. He says, “No, I
can’t because of work.” You’ve typically whined over the issue of
him not spending enough time with you. What will throw him and
get his attention is if you go left when he thinks you’ll go right.
If you don’t cop an attitude or you appear to lose interest in
going away, he’ll immediately be concerned. Most men are used to
women wanting to be around them all the time. He gets concerned
when he’s busy trying to defend something you mysteriously no
longer want. If you don’t bring it up and pretend to forget all about
it, he second-guesses himself: “Hmm . . . why is this okay with her
when I know it’s wrong?” Now his clout or leverage with you will
be called into question, and he no longer knows if he has a 100
percent hold on you. When he doesn’t get the nagging but he
knows he deserves it, he begins to wonder what’s going on.
Let’s say he likes seeing you two nights a week, but he likes to
do his own thing on the weekends. Some weekends you get
together and other weekends he leaves you hanging when he goes
out with the boys. The last thing you want to let Yogi Bear think is
that you are Boo Boo the fool. “Gee, Yogi what are we going to do
next? Okay!”
You need to alter the pattern that has become convenient for him
with no attitude and no warning. Use the same type of excuses
that he wanted you to accept. See him half as much as he wants to
see you. “I’d love to see you Thursday, but I can’t. I am really
behind in my work. I want to go to the gym after work, and I’m
going to be too tired. We’ll get together next week.” In that one
gesture, you’ve done something you could have never accomplished
with all the whining and nagging in the world. You’ve just rekindled
the flame.
The second you take away the security of a predictable routine,
his orientation changes. Instead of worrying about buying time or
making excuses about work, he has to think of something fun to do
so you’ll want to be with him. When you’re not available, he’ll go
out of his way to make more time for you.
If you ask any parrot trainer how to train a parrot, he or she will
tell you to raise the perch to about shoulder level. The trainer will
tell you not to raise the bird up higher than you, because the bird
will think he is better than you. No matter how much the bird loves
you, if you put your finger up over your head to touch him, he’ll be
more inclined to bite you. This dynamic with birds is where the term
cocky originated.
If, on the other hand, you put the bird on the ground, the bird
feels vulnerable. Trainers suggest doing this to keep the bird “in
check.” If you put your finger out, instead of biting you, he’ll crawl
up on your finger and want to get on your arm. When your man
behaves as though he is more worthy than you, recreate the balance
and equality in the relationship by gently taking the “little birdie” and
putting him on the ground.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #58
A man takes a woman for granted
when he’s interested, but will no
longer go out of his way.
For example, Rhonda was being taken for granted by her
boyfriend. He asked her to “come over” late one night. She
indicated she didn’t have a car because it was in the shop. He was
seven minutes away with a car that was running fine, parked right
there in his driveway. He asked, “So, Rhonda, when will your car
be ready?” After realizing that she had no wheels, he dropped the
subject of getting together.
In this example, Rhonda was “dissed” by a guy who wanted her
to keep him warm at night but wouldn’t drive seven minutes to pick
her up. Typically, she would have nagged, but she didn’t this time.
The next time he called, Rhonda spoke to him very casually as
though he were an acquaintance. A friend. A pal. A muchacho.
She said, “Hey, great to hear from you. Can you call me back in a
few? I am on the other line.” He called back and she was in the
shower. Then he called a third time. They chatted a bit casually. For
the first time in their relationship, her disposition changed from
intense to indifferent. After a short while, her call waiting beeped
through and she politely ended the conversation. “Talk to you soon.
Bye, sweetie.” Almost immediately, the guy started to become
much more attentive.
Let’s hit the “pause” button. Rewind . . . now, let’s review playby-
play. Notice how simple it was for Rhonda to get him to realize
he needs to give more.
1. He wasn’t nice.
2. He knows he wasn’t nice.
3. He expected her to nag.
4. She didn’t nag.
5. He was unsure.
6. She was relaxed and self-assured.
7. She gave no explanation and no attitude.
8. He said to himself, “Uh oh. I better get busy.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #59
When you nag, you become the problem,
and he deals with it by tuning you out.
But when you don’t nag, he deals with the problem.
When there is a problem, men love to “fix” it. By nagging, you
make it seem as though the problem lies with you. A perfect
example is Diana, who started nagging her husband to fix a latch in
the laundry room. After the third time she asked, he became so
irritated that no force on earth could get him to fix that latch.
One evening some friends came over. While her husband was
within earshot, Diana asked her friend’s husband to fix the latch in
the laundry room, in that sweet “damsel in distress” tone of voice
that men eat up. Then she started looking for a screwdriver. Before
she could even turn around, her husband ran up the stairs like
Speedy Gonzales and fixed the latch in two minutes flat.
Men despise it when other men fix things for them. It’s a
territorial thing—like some other man is treading on his turf. When
you’ve asked him to do something a few times and he doesn’t do it,
say, “Honey, it’s okay. I don’t need you to do it anymore. Ed, our
nextdoor neighbor, said he’d come over and do it.” If you don’t
have a neighbor, tell him his best friend will come do it. This is how
you will get whatever it is you want done, right then and there.
My friend Lucy noticed that when she asked her husband for
help in various ways, he was less attentive. For example, she often
asked him to help bring in the groceries when she came back from
the market. He was always in the middle of something, so he said,
“Give me a minute.” A minute later she said, “The food is going to
spoil.” And she kept repeating herself. “The food is going to go
bad. If you’re going to do it, please do it now.” Every time she went
to the market, it became a power struggle.
Then she stopped asking for his help and she noticed a change.
When she brought in the groceries and he asked if she wanted a
hand she said, “No thanks, sweetie. I’ve got it.” Suddenly, he was
out there insisting on bringing in the groceries.
Then there’s my friend Rayanna, who found herself repeatedly
nagging her husband to take their child to school. He always made
excuses to avoid doing the driving. But instead of nagging him,
Rayanna found a single dad down the street to carpool with. When
her husband got wind of the fact that a neighbor was doing the
driving, suddenly Papa Bear put a chauffeur hat on.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #60
If you take his chores away from him
and praise someone else for doing it,
he’ll want his chores back.
Remember, men need a little coaxing. They aren’t the most
talented when it comes to running a household. Before he was Papa
Bear, he lived the life of the untamed bear, living in his bachelor’s
habitat (with furniture). Think back to your first walk-through. The
sheets didn’t match and the pillows didn’t have cases on them. His
lamp consisted of a velour hand-me-down shade on a
contemporary silver stand with air fresheners stuck to each side. It
was so ugly that even the Salvation Army truck kept driving when
you put it on the edge of the driveway.
So the day the “live-in bear” sets the living standard is the day
your living standard plummets. Stake your claim, but do it without
nagging him. There’s a better way.
When you use guilt or nagging to motivate him, he feels bad. If
you stroke his ego, however, he feels good. He needs to be
praised. When he goes out to straighten the mailbox and he comes
back inside, say, “Thank you so much, sweetie!” Praise him the
whole way. Then he’ll say, “Why don’t I fix that latch in the laundry
room?”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #61
When you nag, he sees weakness.
Barbara told a funny story of how she engaged her husband in
helping out one lazy Sunday afternoon. She sneaked down into the
garage when her husband wasn’t looking and figured out which
circuit breaker turned off the lights to the part of the house he was
in. Then she flipped it off and tiptoed back into the house and
pretended as though she had no idea what happened. “Honey? I’m
scared! What happened to the power?” He’d never think she had
the brains to turn off a circuit breaker. Now she gave him a jolt with
a jumper cable that got him right up off the couch. Big Papa to the
rescue! Then he helped out because he felt needed—as the “man of
the house.”
He found a flashlight and went downstairs to the circuit-breaker
box. He assigned her the very complicated duty of holding the
flashlight for him. “Hold it steady.” When he flipped the circuit
breaker back on, she appeared proud and impressed. “Wow! I
can’t believe it. How did you do that?” Then she called his mom.
“Mom, he is so smart . . .”
When you make him feel like the man? The stud-muffin? The
legend? You can ask him to do anything and he’ll jump to do it. He
won’t do it because you nagged him, he’ll do it because he wants
to. And he’ll now feel good about it.
As John Churton Collins said, “Never claim as a right what you
can ask as a favor.” Nagging makes it a right; asking for a favor
makes it a positive experience. He’ll come running to help if he’s
going to be praised. Just as a woman wants to be perceived as a
“dream girl” to a man, a man wants to be perceived as a “hero” in
his woman’s eyes.
"Show" Is Better Than "Tell"
If you’ve been nagging and you want to get his attention, try
something new on for size. Don’t show your feelings for a little
while. And don’t explain why, Don’t tell him that you’ve had an
epiphany. Don’t say this is the “new me.” Don’t exaggerate the
change. “Feelings? What feelings?” Show—rather than tell—him
that you aren’t spilling your guts anymore.
Pop psychologists would suggest that you shouldn’t withhold
how you feel. They tell you to “express yourself.” Begin every
sentence with “I feel . . .” Ask for feedback. Then sit in a circle,
hold hands, and pass around the Kleenex. Promise never to do it
again and live happily ever after. Then pay the therapist $175. It’s a
wonderful theoretical ideal. It feels warm and fuzzy just thinking
about “expressing those feelings.” And I’m sure on rare occasions it
even works (because after spending $20,000 total on a therapist,
you can’t bear to think that it hasn’t). But don’t kid yourself. No
man changes because of couples therapy. Men think of therapy as a
form of black-mail—coercion with a ransom. The only reason they
straighten up is to keep from going broke. Half a session will usually
do the trick. “Okay. I’m all better. Can we stop the clock now?”
Expressing yourself when he takes you for granted doesn’t work.
You have to show him with actions. Expressing your feelings
constantly is like pleading. It comes across as needy rather than
dignified. But backing away when he crosses the line? Plenty
dignified.
When he is intrigued because the cards aren’t out on the table, he
is forced to see you differently. It isn’t the love he had for his
mother. Or his sister. Or his grandma. Now you have his attention
because he is no longer in the “safety zone” that enables him to have
his cake and eat it, too.
This isn’t being mean. Men are turned on by it. Think about the
average run-of-the-mill male fantasy he had growing up: It’s always
a woman who has power over him. There’s the teacher he had in
the eighth grade, the nurse at the doctor’s office, the babysitter who
gave him a few extra cookies, the policewoman with the handcuffs.
All of these women, in their own feminine ways, have power over
him and leave him at a disadvantage and he likes it.
When you tell a man how you feel, most of the time he doesn’t
understand what you’re talking about. You’ll probably just confuse
and frustrate him. If you take a look at Attraction Principle #62,
you’ll see what he does understand.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #62
He perceives an emotional woman
as more of a pushover.
My friend Gary races cars, and he shared a story about a
girlfriend who nagged him. After a particular racing event, Gary was
sitting next to his girlfriend in the stands. A couple of friendly women
approached them and asked for his autograph. He recalls, “I
couldn’t believe my girlfriend got so upset because I didn’t
introduce her as my girlfriend. I just forgot, but she kept nagging.
She even pouted.” What he said next is interesting: “Do you know
what the biggest turnoff is? A martyr.”
We don’t know if she overreacted because he may have been
flirting up a storm. But what’s interesting about this story is his
choice of the word martyr. She was trying to use guilt to control
and manipulate him; and men resent being manipulated. On the
other hand, if she had backed off subtly, he’d have seen a woman
who has pride and dignity—both of which are powerfully attractive
qualities.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #63
In the same way that familiarity breeds
contempt, a slightly aloof demeanor
can often renew his respect.
If a man isn’t being nice when you’re out, all you have to do is
remain polite and then go home early. “I have a big day tomorrow.
[Yawn.] We need to call this an early night.” The next time you go
out, he’ll be on his best behavior.
An acquaintance of mine named Cynthia told me a funny story
about her boyfriend. They were seeing each other exclusively, and
one night he went to a stripbar. She was not a happy camper and
wanted to discourage him from going again. She did not nag. A
couple of days later, she pretended that she had gotten a job at a
local strip club. “Checking coats. Isn’t that great?” Then she talked
about finding the right platform shoes.
On their next date, she wore hot pink lipstick and teased her hair
as though she’d been electrocuted. Then came the light blue
eyeshadow on the entire lid, all the way up to the eyebrow. He
wanted to see “hoochies” and girlfriend delivered a “superdeluxe
hoochie” package.
It didn’t take long before he came unglued: “I don’t want my
woman in a place like that!” This began a discussion that ended in a
mutual agreement that they would both stay out of “places like that.”
(See? Why argue your case when you can get him to argue it for
you?)
There are times when a serious issue arises, and there is a need
for a more serious discussion. If and when this situation presents
itself, there is still a way of emphasizing your position without
nagging or repeating yourself several times. If he asks, “Is something
wrong?” take a breath and respond calmly. “Yes, something is
wrong, but I’d like to talk about it later. I really don’t want to talk
about it now.”
Instead of being muted, the volume is now turned up and the
surround-sound is on. Chances are you won’t have to say a word
because by the time you do get around to discussing it, he’s already
made sure he won’t do it again. Meanwhile, he’s thinking of ways
to make it up to you. All before you’ve said one word. Better, no?
It’s like he’s defragmenting his hard drive. You’re making him
clean up his own hard drive without any nagging what-soever. You
walk away and do your own thing . . . while he is “self-correcting”
himself.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #64
He’ll forget what he has in you . . .
unless you remind him.
A lot of women think they need to “cattle prod” the guy out of his
oblivion by nagging. “I’ll sting him.” Or they don’t realize that
they’re nagging.
Every now and then remind yourself: “Hey, men are people too.”
And put yourself in his shoes—being around someone who acts like
your mother isn’t a whole lot of fun.
It’s with your behavior, not with your words, that you let him
know where you stand.
After all, a strong woman is everything men dream and fantasize
about. Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and . . . bitches—it doesn’t
get any better than that.

7
THE OTHER TEAM’S
Secret
“PLAYBOOK”
Things You Suspected
but Never Heard Him Say
“Don’t learn the tricks of the trade.
Learn the trade.”
—ANONYMOUS
What Men Think about How Women
Communicate
Women often assume that men aren’t “in touch” with their feelings
and don’t have a clue about what is going on in romantic
relationships. Because men aren’t as likely to express themselves,
women presume men “just don’t get it.”
Men have an aversion to talking about feelings. They even avoid
watching movies about “feelings.” Mike described to me how men
view emotional movies that women like: “There is always a mother,
a daughter, and the mother’s best friend. The whole movie they are
at a beach, or they are squeezing tomatoes in a garden with a stupid
straw hat on. And everyone is whimpering the whole time. ‘Mama?
Boo, hoo, hoo.’ Then the mom starts crying. A bunch of women
whimpering is not a plot. I can’t sit through two hours of that.”
Men are about as interested in talking about feelings or watching
“chick flicks” as we are watching them get under a car and rebuild
an engine. To them, watching a movie like Terms of Endearment
o r Steel Magnolias is cruel and unusual punishment. One guy
named Chris recalled: “It was horrible! And I had to watch that shit
for three hours just to prove that I wasn’t an asshole.” This
statement even brought support from a guy standing nearby: “I feel
for you, man. That sucks. That’s almost as bad as having to listen to
Michael Bolton. All that wailing and weeping? I can’t listen to it.”
What is also interesting is how men discuss “feelings.” If you ask
a man to say that word out loud, he’ll pronounce it with a tone of
dread. “Fff-fffff—feeeee-lings.” As the conversation continues,
you’ll notice a pained facial expression as if he’s “going in” for some
kind of invasive surgical procedure. Side effects vary; usually
digestive problems occur. (Therefore, before discussing “feelings,”
make sure to steam some rice to quell his upset stomach.)
This lack of sentiment leads women to believe men are “out of
touch.” But nothing could be further from the truth. I spoke with
hundreds of men of all ages while researching this book. The
youngest was eighteen and the oldest was seventy; some were
married and some were single. To my surprise, they were more
articulate about their perceptions than any girlfriends I’ve ever
talked with were about theirs. I found the men to be surprisingly
forthcoming and truthful.
In the balance of this chapter, I’ve taken the best, most revealing
quotes and put them all together in list form to help women learn
what men notice. I’ve highlighted the quotes that reveal what men
think about a needy woman, a feisty woman, and what turns men on
or off.
This information will “connect the dots,” confirming the advice
given in the other chapters. You’ll understand not only what the
advice is, but also, why the advice thoughout this book was
given.
The Top Fifteen Signs That a Woman Is
Needy
1. “If a woman doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve, she comes
off as less emotional and more appealing. It makes the
relationship go smoothly. For example, a guy has to go to
work. It isn’t that he doesn’t want to spend time with a
woman; it’s that a lot of times he can’t. So when a woman
gives you room to live your life without getting upset, you’ll
feel she’s adding much more to your life.”
2. “I like a woman who’s quiet at times because then you’re not
sure what she’s thinking. She’ll seem more secure with
herself, like she has control over herself and her emotions.
You want to be with a person who can think before she
speaks.”
3. “Some women seem defensive or guarded, and that can be
viewed as insecurity, also. There was one woman who
turned me off before we even went out. She was so
concerned about protecting herself that she told me what
she wouldn’t tolerate in our first phone conversation. She
gave me this warning based on what happened with the last
guy. We hadn’t even had our first date, and already she was
laying down the law. I hadn’t even made a traffic violation
and she’d already sentenced me to death. All I did was ask
her out on a date!”
4. “I went out with a woman who interrogated me. I got the
impression that she had been burned. Actually, it was more
like she’d been scorched. No guy wants to feel like he’s
paying for some other guy’s mistakes.”
5. “I dated a woman who loved to talk and talk. We’d fall
asleep talking, and I’d wake up and she’d still be talking. I
realized that she wasn’t doing it because she wanted to tell
me anything, she was doing it because she just couldn’t shut
up.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #65
Many women talk a lot out of nervousness—
which is something that men
will often perceive as insecurity.
6. “One woman I dated was really needy. She needed constant
reassurance about everything. Her family, her friends, and
her job. During sex, she said to me, ‘Do you know what
happened to me today at work?’ That one killed my ego!”
7. “The conversation is part of the companionship, but it isn’t
everything. Women overdo talking about feelings. If it feels
like you’ve run out of things to talk about, that’s not a good
thing. There has to be a balance somewhere in between.”
8. “One woman tried to change me. She tried to get me to talk
about my ‘feelings’ more. Hey, look. I can deal with my
own problems.”
9. “When someone tries to get me to open up and I don’t want
to, there is no way they are getting the information out of
me. I’ll close up even more. I don’t need a woman to ‘help’
me.”
10. “It really makes us happy when a woman lets us go out with
the guys and has no attitude about it. Like if I get tickets to a
hockey game at the last minute. If she’s cool even when I
cancel plans with her, it wins my respect. It feels like she is
secure with herself, and she cares about what makes me
happy, too.”
11. “I had one girlfriend who talked so much I could walk away
into another room and she’d still be talking. One time I was
in the bathroom trying to have some privacy and she was
talking to me through the crack of the door. I really think
there was something wrong with her.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #66
Talking about feelings to a man
will feel like work. When he’s with a
woman, he wants it to feel like fun.
12. “When a guy talks about something, it’s over in thirty
seconds. But for a woman, it goes on and on. What seems
like a trivial thing to him seems like it’s life threatening to her.
So then you try to help and you say, ‘Honey, it doesn’t
matter.’ But that makes it worse because she thinks you
don’t care.”
13. “I think a woman who talks less is more attractive because it
makes her more mysterious. It is not a good thing to just
ramble on. Communication should be about quality not
quantity. If a woman is uncomfortable or bothered, he
should be able to feel it without her saying a word.”
14. “One woman wanted the two of us to always be together.
She tried to change how I spend all my time. And every guy
has his own special time or recreation. She wanted me to do
stuff I didn’t want to do. If she knows I am not the ‘artsy’
type, she should let me be who I am. She shouldn’t be
dragging me to an art gallery or a museum. If a guy treats a
woman well, but he doesn’t write poetry or buy stupid
cards expressing his feelings, she should just leave well
enough alone.”
15. “I don’t mind a woman who changes the decor in the house,
but when she is obsessed with changing me, it gets old. I
want a woman who has a sense of purpose in her own life,
so she doesn’t waste all her energy trying to control mine.”
What you can glean from this feedback is that, no matter how
much a woman wants intimacy, she can’t force it out of a man—
much less change his stripes. Notice that in the last quote, the man
even says the woman is wasting her time. Whenever a woman
speaks in language that appears in any way emotional, most men
will immediately discredit it and think of it as “girlie babble.”
Keeping it short and to the point is essential, otherwise he won’t
hear a single word.
Not only this, but constantly trying to force a man to talk about
feelings or pay an inordinate amount of attention to your feelings is
counterproductive. Here’s why:
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #67
Forcing him to talk about feelings all the time
will not only make you seem needy, it will eventually
make him lose respect. And when he loses respect,
he’ll pay even less attention to your feelings.
Therefore, if you feel as if he’s ignoring you, be “dumb like a
fox.” When he isn’t meeting your needs, just pull back slightly and
don’t explain a thing. As explored in the last chapter, men don’t
respond to words.
Women chase men by trying to force-feed conversations about
feelings. And predictably, they run. In order for the child to run to
Mommy, Mommy has to first stop chasing the child.
If, however, you’re not demanding it, or chasing it, or trying to
inflict “cruel and unusual girlie babble,” you’ll have his respect.
Whenever you keep your piece short and sweet and pull back in a
slightly mysterious way, you’ll appear more dignified and he’ll pay
much more attention to what you feel—without any words at all.
The Top Fifteen Reasons Men "Play It Cool"
I asked men why they hide their feelings, or “play it cool.” I asked
why they often put up pretenses that they are cool, “macho,” and
tougher than they feel. They do this because they feel they have to,
especially when dealing with women.
Women often wonder why men take so long to make a phone
call. For example, a man asks for her phone number and then waits
six days before calling. Then he takes her out on a really fun date
and waits another five days before calling again. Meanwhile, she’s
scratching her head and asking, “What’s up with that?”
Men are used to being turned down by women so this delaying
tactic is how they keep their guard up. In the beginning, he’ll be
calculated. He’ll be rational as opposed to “emotional,” because to
him appearing too obvious, or “emotional,” will be perceived as a
sign of weakness. On Tuesday, he’ll say to himself, “I think I’ll call
her on Thursday”. Most men don’t have a clue that the woman
would have preferred a call on Tuesday.
So why do they do it? They do it to “save face” and to give the
impression they’re “in control” of the situation. An attractive guy by
the name of Steven surprised me with his candor. He said, “You
have to approach women looking like you do it all the time, and it
isn’t a big deal to you. The minute you act like it’s important to you,
the woman smells it and she treats you differently”. This is the
reason men will wait before calling and then act a little bit cavalier.
They believe that women disrespect men who appear weak or
vulnerable.
What you can take away from this is: Do not take it personally
if he doesn’t call for a day or two. Often when it seems as though
he’s slightly rejecting you, it can be a compliment in disguise; he
wants you so much that he doesn’t want to appear too obvious
about it. Other times men pull back deliberately to see what your
reaction will be, because they are curious to see how much you
care. If you don’t believe me, keep reading. Here’s what these
sneaky devils copped to:
1. “Guys want women to think they have other options with
women, even when they don’t. So they exaggerate. They do
it to make themselves look more attractive to a woman.”
2. “Sure, men play cool. Because they think the woman is going
to find them more attractive or appealing. I know some guys
that check out a woman who isn’t even that beautiful, just to
make his girlfriend a little insecure.”
3. “Guys don’t want to admit it to themselves that one woman
can have that kind of control over them. It deflates our egos
to think that women can affect us that much. We don’t want
to feel like we have no control over ourselves.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #68
In the beginning, the only thing you need
to pay attention to is whether he keeps coming
around, because he’ll only be able to suspend
or hide his emotions for so long.
4. “I may not call a girl too much in the beginning because I
don’t want to give the impression that I’m too eager.”
5. “Guys are just as emotional as women are. They just don’t
show it because society says you aren’t supposed to. As a
guy, you have to appear to be in control of yourself ”.
6. “When she acts like she doesn’t care, it can scare you.
Women can crush men and they don’t even know it. If a
woman puts her foot down and walks away? It can crush a
guy . . .”
7. “If a man is really falling for a particular woman, a lot of times
he’ll try to conceal it. Very few men will ever break down
and cry over a woman in front of her.”
8. “Of course men play cool . . . to get women interested in us.
We want women to like us and don’t want them to think we
are too eager. If you show you’re too interested right off the
bat, women will think you are desperate.”
9. “Sometimes I’ll pretend to ignore a woman in the beginning,
or I won’t call as much to keep a woman’s interest. No guy
wants to look too desperate.”
10. “Men are needier sexually. Women can control their sex
drives, whereas men are controlled by theirs.”
11. “Guys do it to appeal to women. Most guys believe that
nice guys finish last and that women on some level want a
bad boy”.
12. “If you appear weak, people take advantage of you. Some
men think if you open up too much, a woman will use it
against you.”
13. “If you let a woman know that you haven’t been in the
company of a woman recently, she could get the impression
you’re desperate or just trying to be with any woman.”
14. “Women are in control, because they control the sex. In
fact, women have a lot more control than they know. A lot
of guys feel like this puts us at a disadvantage.”
15. “When a guy plays cool, he thinks he’s impressing the
woman with his power or his strength. He’s just trying to be
hip, like he knows what’s up. No guy wants to be perceived
as a Mommy’s boy or a wimp.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #69
Men treat women the way they treat other men.
They “play it cool” because they don’t want
to appear weak or desperate.
The Top Fifteen Male Views on Keeping the
Romance Alive
A number of men also spoke to me about keeping the passion alive,
particularly those who are married or have been married. During
this part of the interview, I always felt like it was a word game. I
said “romance,” and they thought sex. I said “passion,” and they
thought sex. I said “new experiences,” and they thought about sex.
I said, “variety”, and they responded with a question, “You mean
sex, right?” Given this, the most obvious thing men would want a
woman to take away from a conversation on the subject of how to
keep the passion alive is with respect to . . . you guessed it . . . sex!
While men are less likely to talk about feelings, they still need to feel
connected with the person they are in love with and it’s equally
important for them to keep the magic “spark.” When a man stops
having sex, he starts to doubt his manhood, and his desirability gets
called into question. It isn’t just about the physical act.
1. “A guy needs to always feel that he’s desirable to his wife or
girlfriend. We need that feedback.”
2. “Do something different in bed. Anything. As long as it’s
different than what he’s used to. The element of surprise is a
turnon. If you always get on top, do it sideways.”
3. “Late in the evening you’re so exhausted. The daily grind can
really take the passion out of a relationship. You have to
make the time for each other. Go out for a dinner and get a
babysitter if you have to.”
4. “People use the excuse of money, time, being away from the
kids to stop being intimate or romantic. It’s really important
to keep the passion.”
5. “Men like a woman to be creative so it doesn’t get stale. If
she’s too predictable because you talk about the
relationship all the time instead of going out and having one,
he’ll get bored quickly”.
6. “Recently, my wife and I started leaving the kids with family
once a month and we go away for a Friday night or a
Saturday night. It keeps the romance alive. It’s the adult
conversation one-on-one.”
7. “It’s easy to say, ‘We can’t afford to eat out.’ Or, ‘We can’t
afford to go away for the weekend.’ The bills may be
racking up or you feel like you should spend the money on
the kids. But you really can’t afford to give up the romantic
things or your sex life. It’s also very important.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #70
The element of surprise both inside and outside
of the bedroom is important to men,
and it adds to the excitement.
8. “Anything that surprises a guy will add excitement. It’s about
having new experiences with someone.”
9. “If a guy keeps getting turned down sexually, eventually the
passion will die. Guys want sex a minimum of a couple of
times a week, and ideally, they want a woman who doesn’t
have to be asked.”
10. “Just once I would like to have a woman take my hand and
lead me to the bedroom. Guys always have to be the
aggressors. We always have to do the work to get a
woman ‘in the mood.’ Sometimes guys just don’t want to
have to work that hard.”
11. “I like a woman who takes the initiative sexually from time
to time. Maybe not the first time, but definitely when you are
in a relationship. It makes him feel like you want him more.”
12. “I think it keeps the romance if you have time apart even
when you’re living together. It is important to be able to do
stuff alone and not have her give you a hard time about it.
When I go fishing, I find that I really miss my wife. And
that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
13. “Sometimes a woman can make a guy feel important by
asking questions or expressing an interest in what he likes.
They can try something new together that they wouldn’t
normally do. I’d suggest planning a weekend away with him
that you can both look forward to.”
14. “The weekends can be filled with a lot of busywork.
Shuttling the kids around or doing housework. I think it can
help keep the romance to do some of the mundane things
apart from one another. Sometimes in the morning I can
take the kids while she does chores, and then she can take
the kids out while I stay at home and do certain duties. In
the evenings you have a better time being together. I don’t
need to see my wife cleaning the floors with a bandana on.”
15. “It’s comforting if you’ve been with someone awhile to do
the same three tricks in bed that you know they like. But it
becomes routine after awhile. Throw in a changeup or a
curve ball. It doesn’t have to be outrageous, just something
you don’t normally do.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #71
Don’t always do the same thing over and
over in the bedroom. Vary it so that it
doesn’t become a predictable routine.
The Top Fifteen Things That Turn Men Off
There were just a few miscellaneous comments men had about
other things that put them off. This section may be self-explanatory
to some, while others may find these things not so obvious. In any
event, since your man is not likely to say these things directly, you
might want to make a small mental note of the following:
1. “A woman should always keep the bathroom door closed
when she’s on the toilet. I think it’s really disgusting to
watch a woman on the toilet. And don’t leave feminine pads
and stuff around for the guy to look at, either. We don’t
even like it when we see douche commercials on TV”.
2. “I get a little turned off by a woman who is too materialistic. If
she pays attention to what kind of shoes I’m wearing or
what kind of watch I have on or what kind of car I drive, I’ll
back off”.
3. “When a woman is jealous, it can be a turnoff. One time I
was on a date and this person with long blonde hair was in
the car next to us. My date accused me of checking her out.
It turned out to be a guy!”
4. “Mystery is important. I was on the phone with a woman and
the first time we spoke she said that she was going to lose
weight so we could have sex. How much does a guy need
to be talked into having sex?”
5. “I don’t like a woman who doesn’t have a life, or a job. Or
messed-up credit. Or an old boyfriend who’s a nut case. I
like a woman who is responsible.”
6. “I like a woman I can see without any pressure involved. If a
guy is under a lot of pressure and she adds to it, he’ll
immediately shut down.”
7. “I don’t like it when a woman makes me look bad in front of
people. If I do something wrong, she should bring it up at
home.”
8. “When he walks in the door after a long day, let him do his
own thing for a half-hour. Acknowledge his presence and
give him a kiss and don’t immediately drop what you need
on him.”
9. “A woman shouldn’t let a guy know she is centering her
world around him. One girl told me she spent three hours
getting ready to meet me for the first time. That’s a little too
much.”
10. “The fear every guy has is that after marriage the girl is going
to cut her hair off, gain a bunch of weight, and stop putting
out.”
11. “No woman who wants to be involved with a halfway
decent guy should ever get drunk with him. If you’re home
drinking and you get a buzz, that’s one thing. If you’re at a
bar and you make an idiot of yourself, it’s a total turnoff. No
one likes to be with a drunk”.
12. “Never let a guy know you’re sitting home waiting for his
call, or that he’s your whole life. He also likes knowing
other men want you, just as long as you aren’t sleeping with
any of them.”
13. “When a woman chases you, it will turn you off. I remember
when the sorority girls would come over to the fraternities.
In a way, I felt like the cows were coming to graze on our
turf. It was too easy”.
14. “It’s like punching a clock when you’re with a woman who
makes you feel like you have to report back to her. That’s
an instant turnoff”.
15. “A woman should never show up unannounced, both at a
guy’s house or at his work. He’ll instantly think of her as a
‘fatal attraction’ type.”
The Top Fifteen Reasons Men Prefer a Feisty
Woman
Women are almost brainwashed since kindergarten that they should
be nice. Just think about the nursery rhyme that says girls are made
of “sugar and spice and everything nice.” Pop culture does not
encourage women to be feisty, so women get the idea that being
nice, and agreeable is the winning ticket. It’s good to be nice. It’s
when a woman feels she has to be nice independent of how she is
treated that there’s a problem. It often means the woman is nice at
the expense of being self-abnegating.
As you’ve read throughout these chapters, a man will often be
turned off by a woman who doesn’t stand her ground. When you
read the following quotes, this message should come full circle,
since now you will be hearing it directly from men: They are secretly
turned on by a bitch, or a woman who will stand up for herself. At
this point we are getting to the meat and potatoes of the “Other
Team’s Secret Playbook”. Here’s where men—in their own words
—disclose why they are turned on by bitches. This is one of their
best-kept secrets of all.
1. “When you banter with a woman and she can give it right
back to you, it’s a turn-on.”
2. “I like a woman who can put me in my place. If I’m being a
jerk and she brings it to my attention, it makes me respect
her.”
3. “The childlike qualities in us [men] propel us to try to take
advantage. It’s a good thing to know the woman you love
won’t put up with it.”
4. “Yes, I admit it. Sometimes I start a fight with my wife. It isn’t
that I deliberately want to give her a hard time; it’s just that
sometimes I have a hard day and misery loves company.
When she puts me in my place, it makes me respect her.”
5. “I like a woman who won’t play games. Her confidence says
that she must know something I don’t. Then I say to myself,
‘Hey, she must be worth keeping.’”
6. “When a woman is always really sweet and nice, it can
become monotonous.”
7. “If a guy thinks a woman is stupid, he won’t take her
attention that seriously because he doesn’t respect her
opinion. If she’s really smart and appears to have her act
together, I am more flattered that she wants to be with me. I
feel like I have something of value.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #72
Most men tend to disrespect a woman
who appears to be too malleable.
8. “When you try to get away with doing something you know
isn’t right and a woman says, ‘I don’t have time for that,’ it
can be a turnon. It depends on the situation, but I like a
woman who has the integrity to stand by what she believes.”
9. “She is so sexy to me when she has that spiciness about her.
She isn’t afraid to disagree or tell me what she thinks. She
doesn’t always kiss my ass and that keeps me on my toes.”
10. “She didn’t take anything lying down. I complained at the
time, but I admit this turned me on.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #73
Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself
or speak your mind. It will not only earn his respect,
in some cases it will even turn him on.
11. “I like a woman to put me in my place, if I know I deserve
it. What is sexy is when a woman is comfortable enough
with her own power. Or when she isn’t so timid or afraid to
rock the boat.”
12. “A man respects a woman who won’t tolerate being treated
badly”.
13. “I treat women as equals, so I like to compete in a fun way
with my wit. I like a woman who mentally challenges me in a
fun way by bantering with me, or with her sense of humor. It
can be competitive in a playful kind of way”.
14. “I actually like a woman with a little bit of a temper.
Because then I know she won’t let me take advantage of
her. Pride is sexy”.
15. “A woman who is feisty is sexually stimulating. You assume
she’ll be wilder. With a nice girl, you are afraid she’ll run
home and tell her mommy what you did to her.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #74
Men often automatically assume that a bitchier
woman will be more assertive in bed, and
that a nice girl will be more timid.
The Top Ten Ways to Tell Whether a Man Is
in Love
Since men are so good at hiding the way they feel, a woman often
wonders how she can tell whether a man is in love with her or just
“going through the motions.” Here is the most important thing to
remember when asking yourself this question: If you have to
second-guess whether he loves you, and you’ve been together for a
very long time, you might be settling for less.
What the men shared with me is that it’s often the little things a
man will do for a woman that are most telling.
1. “You know a guy’s in love when it’s a Monday night and she
says, ‘Why don’t we do this?’ and he does. He’s in love
when he starts to regularly pick her over his friends.”
2. “When he seems to be overjoyed. Suddenly he’s really
happy and he seems different. When he suddenly appears
more alive to his friends and family.”
3. “You know a guy is ‘in deep’ when he’ll let the girl keep
feminine stuff in the house. Suddenly he’s proud to have
feminine decor. He’ll buy the furniture that she likes. And
he’ll let her keep tampons under his sink. He’ll want her in
his life in every way.”
4. “He’ll start taking better care of himself, and he’ll start to
think about long term. Financially, physically, and in every
other way”.
5. “He’ll go out of his way [for her]. He’ll fly to see her. If she
has a craving, he’ll get out of bed to get her a doughnut in
the middle of the night.”
6. “Men are into variety until they fall madly in love. If he really
wants one woman, it doesn’t matter who else he can have
because he wants to be with her. Other women aren’t a
threat when he’s attached. A lot of temptations go away
when you really fall hard.”
7. “When he thinks about her all the time, when he does
thoughtful things for her, or when he’s always thinking of
ways to please her.”
8. “Suddenly, he feels like he can stop looking around the
corner for someone else.”
9. “When he’s willing to do something out of character to please
her. He never thought of having children or getting married,
but with this woman he is willing to do all of the above.”
10. “She won’t have to ask. She’ll just know it in her gut.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #75
When a man falls in love, suddenly he’ll go
out of his way and think nothing of it.
He’ll do things for this woman he
wouldn’t have done for anyone else.
Much of the advice given in this book has been based on the
admissions men have made to me. At one point, I asked a doctor
named George why he won’t share this secret information with his
partner. He answered, “Because with you there is no consequence.
But with her there would be a consequence.” The consequence
George is speaking of is a loss of power for men. In other words,
the attraction a man has for a feisty or bitchy woman is rarely
something he’ll want her to know about.
I knew the information the men were giving up was not only
truthful but also very loaded, because there was such a “hush, hush”
quality to it. Men would regularly ask me not to use their names
because they said that other men would feel betrayed by what they
had disclosed.
Obviously, it’s helpful to know how men think. But the
information in this chapter isn’t intended to give you ways to work
even harder to appease a man. The nice girl does that already, to a
fault. If there are two eggs in a frying pan, she’ll take the broken
yolk for herself. If she bakes two cookies and one breaks, she’ll
keep the broken one and give him the good cookie. The nice girl
has no idea why overcompensating backfires when it’s done day-in
and day-out. She doesn’t realize that she becomes so involved in
him that she loses herself, and in the process, she risks losing him as
well.
Refer to the Top Fifteen Lists in this chapter again and again, but
don’t take the information and work even harder to please your
man. Instead of working so hard to please him, work harder to
please yourself . . . because ultimately, this is what will truly please
him.
8
KEEPING YOUR
Pink
SLIP
The Reasons That Holding Your Own
Financially Gives You Power
“Elegance does not consist of
putting on a new dress.”
—COCO CHANEL
Financial Independence: Who Has the Title
on You?
There’s one aspect of holding your own in a relationship that cannot
be overlooked: money. Many women dream of having a knight in
shining armor pay all the bills. The part they don’t show is what
happens after Prince Charming sweeps you off your feet. If he’s
paying all the bills in the castle, he’ll also be calling the shots. That is
when the princess stops feeling like a princess and starts feeling like
a servant.
This chapter explores what happens when you give up your “pink
slip” and the ability to provide for yourself.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #76
He’ll never respect you as being able to
hold your own unless you can stand on your
own two feet financially.
When you have the clear title on a vehicle, you are the legal
owner and you have the “pink slip,” or certificate of ownership, to
it. The “Pink Slip” in some states means you’ve been fired.
However, the meaning here pertains to ownership of a vehicle.
When you have the pink slip, there are no lien-holders. There are
no monies owed. There are no debts unpaid. This means you own it
free and clear, so what you do with that vehicle is entirely up to
you. Likewise, when a woman keeps the pink slip over herself, she
gains leverage in the relationship.
This is what many mothers tell their daughters: If a woman gives
up her independence and becomes financially dependent on a man,
she’ll have far fewer choices in life. She’ll end up at someone else’s
beck and call. She’ll be at someone else’s mercy. This is why a
woman should maintain her independence, her “pink slip,” and full
ownership of herself.
Work = Money = Keeping your pink slip =
The ability to choose the way you
want to be treated = Dignity
What mothers may or may not elaborate on is how a man feels
about a woman when he has to carry her financially. Before long
he’ll feel as though she’s an added responsibility instead of an asset.
At that point, he’ll stop viewing her as a privilege to be with.
This doesn’t apply to a woman taking care of children. When a
family is involved, no doubt she will be doing her part . . . and then
some. He won’t perceive her as dead weight, because he knows
her job can sometimes be harder than his. In this case a father
recognizes that he prefers his job over hers, so he can’t help but
respect her for her work.
As long as you have the resources to choose your terms, you
keep your pink slip and you keep your power. If you choose to
leave, you can always grab a suitcase and go. This very
independence makes him not want you to leave.
All the “feistiness,” or “sexiness,” or bitchy attitude in the world
won’t change a man’s awareness that you cannot hold your own
with respect to your livelihood.
Once you hand over that pink slip, he feels trapped because
you’ve now become a responsibility, rather than a privilege. And
that feels like something he is stuck with. He has to provide food
for two, housing for two, and pay all the other bills for two. It
doesn’t take long for him to feel the added pressure and the
doubled responsibility of carrying not only himself but also another
person.
A bitch will usually maintain her independence and contribute to
the relationship in some way because her pride won’t allow her to
be perceived as a burden on someone else. And she won’t put
herself in a position where she can’t rock the boat, which she will
do if and when she feels that she isn’t being regarded highly enough.
It’s important to let him know you place your dignity above all
else, even if you’re dating a very successful man. He has to feel that,
if he mistreats you, you’ll pack up and move out of his mansion into
a one-bedroom without any hesitation. He has to feel you’ll drive a
Pinto rather than a Mercedes Benz, if it means you’ll be tolerating
disrespect. He has to know you’ll give up a comfortable lifestyle
before you’ll accept being misused or mistreated.
Usually this can be conveyed with actions, but sometimes it can
be expressed with words. For example, let’s say you’re watching
the TV movie The Burning Bed in which Farrah Fawcett plays an
abused woman who, in every other scene, is sporting a new black
eye. You can use this as a tender “loveydovey moment” in which to
express your Terms of Endearment for your man, while eating
popcorn. Simply turn and look at him, gaze into his eyes and say, “I
would sooner be flipping burgers at McDonalds.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #77
You have to show that you won’t accept
mistreatment. Then you will keep his respect.
When faced with an independent woman, a guy is too busy trying
to keep his “welcome” to get bored. But with a financially
dependent woman, he thinks he can slack off and she’ll take it.
Even if he isn’t the type to mistreat a woman, he’ll grow bored if he
gets the sense that she’ll take whatever he dishes out.
You don’t have to be rich; you just have to maintain the ability to
take care of yourself. This directly relates to whether he’s respectful
at all times. He can’t buy you a dinner because you’re hungry. It has
to be a gift that he chooses to give and that you choose to receive.
Then the gifts keep coming.
Jeanette told me about how her ex-husband had made her feel
when he was the only one working. She recalled:
He was a surgeon and made a lot of money. But for four
years, I didn’t own a coat. I felt that I couldn’t justify
spending a couple of hundred dollars on a good coat
when I wasn’t bringing any money in. So I would wear
jackets that I had owned since high school, or I would
borrow his coats. The minute I went out and got a
parttime job, I felt so much better about myself. Not only
because I could buy things, but because I didn’t have to
ask him for everything.
If you can take care of yourself, everything he gives you becomes
gravy. He isn’t providing the whole meatloaf. The whole four
courses. He doesn’t provide you with your livelihood.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #78
Your pink slip is maintained when you can stand
on your own—with him or without him.
He should never feel that you are
completely at his mercy.
Susan B. Anthony said, “I never felt I could give up my life of
freedom to become a man’s housekeeper.” It isn’t about whether a
woman is a man’s housekeeper or whether she’s bringing in “dollar
for dollar” that’s important. And it also isn’t about whether she
stays at home to raise children, because this is even harder work.
The variable is this: Whether a woman has the resources or ability
to leave if and when she wants to go.
When a man financially supports a woman completely, one of
two things will happen:
1. He’ll begin to feel “locked in,” or trapped in a deadend
situation.
2. He’ll begin to view her as a little girl.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #79
When a man views a woman as a “little girl”
or a sister he has to take care of,
the passion diminishes. He doesn’t want to
make love to his sister.
Again, a man wants a strong woman, not a helpless little kid.
Sexually, this will impact the float in his boat.
I know one couple in which the husband, Michael, is the
breadwinner. They have no children, and he pulls all of the financial
weight. Every time his wife, Nancy, walks in the house with a new
pair of shoes, she gets the “two feet” speech.
The Two Feet Speech
“You only have two feet. Why do you need so many
shoes? There are 365 days in a year. You have 100 pairs
of shoes. That’s one pair of shoes for every 3.65 days. I
have flip-flops, sneakers, and a couple of pairs of work
shoes. Why do you need so many shoes? Do you see these
shoes I have on? I have worn these every day for the past
two years. I don’t understand. Why do you need so many
shoes?”
If she were working, would he give her this speech? Not likely.
But if a man pays all the bills, the “money gets funny and the change
gets strange.” Better for her to be a waitress at Denny’s one day a
week, and he won’t say a word. She would put on her new shoes,
strut her stuff, and not have to explain “nothin’ to nobody”.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #80
The ability to choose how you want to live, and the
ability to choose how you want to be treated are the
two things that will give you more power than any
material object ever will.
When he views you as a little girl, he may do things that
demonstrate his loss of respect. He may assign you an “allowance”
or tell you how much money you can spend. Or he’ll tell you what
you can or cannot buy. All of these restrictions reflect your loss of
freedom and a loss of your ability to make your own choices.
Here’s why this is relevant:
The ability to remain an independent thinker is what
keeps his interest and the mental challenge.
The ability to make your own choices in life is your
most important tool. It is the very thing that gives you
power.
Not only will he tell you what you should have, the man who is
paying all the bills will eventually begin to tell you what you like or
don’t like as well. He won’t ask for your opinion, he’ll tell you what
your opinion should be. It sets you up to be treated like a Barbie
doll that he can control. Then the following will occur:
He’ll begin to think that he’s entitled to the last word.
He’ll behave as if what he says goes.
He’ll have control over your happiness and sadness.
You’ll be treated as though he’s the boss and you’re
the subordinate.
He may offer his help on his own terms, and you’ll
wait at bay.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #81
In a relationship of any kind,
if one person feels the other person isn’t bringing
anything to the table, he or she will begin to
disrespect that person.
Again, it’s not a question of whether he pays most of the bills, it’s
a question of whether you can still stand on your own two feet, if
push comes to shove. Then he doesn’t have the title, he’s merely
leasing with the option to buy. He can feel like the “head of
household.” Remember, he should feel like the Grand Poo-Bah
over his habitat and his domain. But he should never feel that he
holds the key to your livelihood.
The ability to take care of yourself ensures that all of the
following will remain intact:
1. The mental challenge
2. The respect
3. The longevity of the relationship
4. The sexual desire
A case in point. Roxanne, who could be described as a “gold
digger,” lived with Kent at his Malibu estate. She drove a Mercedes
Benz and made regular shopping sprees on Rodeo Drive. Her
survival, her livelihood, and her whole existence were contingent on
Kent, a man she didn’t particularly care for. Although on the surface
she appeared to have it all, she had completely given up her pink
slip.
One day, I drove to Roxanne’s place to pick her up for lunch.
Before we left, she opened a drawer and took out some cash, and
said she had to make a quick deposit into her account. She had
bounced a check for $20. She then said, “Kent lets me keep my
pride. He puts the money in a drawer, so I don’t have to ask for it.”
In this example, there was no pride to be “kept.” Pride is . . .
having your own paycheck. There is only one thing better than
“With Love” and that is the phrase, “Pay to the order of”.
In the above example with Roxanne, there is no question that the
problem was financial. Kent even suggested that she get a parttime
job. He said, “I’d respect you more if you had a job.” Still, she
didn’t make an effort to look for work. And two weeks later, she
was tearfully packing her Gucci bags.
Being a gold digger never pays, as evident by the headline stories
on the news. As a matter of fact, gold diggers recently suffered an
even bigger setback: Viagra. Now she’s working twice as hard for
equal pay. And no dental benefits.
All a woman has to do to balance the relationship is pay an
electric bill with her own money or bring home groceries from time
to time. Any of these things express her gratitude; then the man is
happy to pay for everything else. He doesn’t have to feel it’s always
equal, just reciprocal.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #82
Financial neediness is no different than emotional
neediness; in both instances, he can still get the feeling
that he has a 100 percent hold on you.
Another woman I know, Michelle, was living with a man for four
years. For most of that time, he paid every bill and never
complained because Michelle didn’t have any money coming in.
Then she inherited some money. She had $120,000 sitting idle in a
savings account. At that point, he asked Michelle to help pay some
bills; she declined.
He didn’t ask her to carry all the weight, or even half the weight.
He merely asked her to pitch in. The interest from her capital would
have been more than enough to show him that she was pitching in
for a few bills. Still, Michelle insisted that the money was for “her
retirement.”
Shortly thereafter, he “retired” from the relationship—at which
point she moved out. She was then forced to pay several times the
amount of money for her own living expenses. Contributing within
her means would have been the right thing to do. It was also the
financially advantageous thing to do. But the point is not purely
financial. The relationship would have had a better chance of
working if she had balanced things out by pitching in.
One selfmade millionaire named Benji described his perspective:
“One thing a successful man learns very quickly is that women
respond to his money. They realize that women will line up for a
man with deep pockets. All he has to do is show them that he is
wealthy or that he drives a nice car and that he owns a big house.
And they line up like ducks.”
Granted, there are plenty of affluent men who like having an
accoutrement or a Barbie doll on their arms who, they hope, will
graduate into the esteemed ranks of a “Stepford Wife.” But this
man is not a “quality catch,” and this woman will not have any
“staying power.” He’ll be much more likely to trade in a helpless
“dingy” type of woman for a newer model because he sees her as a
toy to begin with. What a quality man wants “for keeps” is a strong
woman. He wants a partner he respects and one who is worth
catching: an equal. He may provide more monetarily, and she may
be a stay-at-home mother. But she is contributing. In other words,
she isn’t “on the take” and she can stand on her two feet. This
means she is there by choice.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #83
Regardless of how pretty a woman is, looks
alone will not sustain his respect. Appearance
may pull him in, but it is your independence
that will keep him turned on.
Dignity and pride aren’t about whether you pull money out of a
drawer, a sack, or a wallet. It isn’t about being given a credit card
or pulling cash out of a Versateller. If you have an income, however
small, it enables you to:
1. Live by your own rules
2. Move to your rhythm, instead of dancing to the beat of
someone else’s drum
3. Decide how you want to be treated
4. Choose what you will or will not tolerate
5. Leave if you don’t get what you want
Everything in this list is precisely what the bitch values most. She
keeps her power in every way. And as Henry Kissinger said,
“Power is the great aphrodisiac.”
Dollars and No Sense
While conducting research for this book, I was surprised to find
that, generally speaking, men don’t mind picking up the tab on a
date. What they do mind is the overriding sense that women act as
if they are entitled to it—or as if they expect it.
When you act as if you expect something, you make a man feel
unappreciated. If he pays, it’s always best to help him realize that
you took time to notice that he went out of his way, and that you
are grateful.
Over and over, men have expressed to me their frustration with
women who lack gratitude and those who automatically expect a
man to pay. There are some women who, even when it’s a man’s
birthday, will take him out and expect him to pay. There were many
men who, when interviewed for this book, shared stories about
birthdays or holidays in which their partners still expected them to
pick up the tab.
In one instance, a woman invited other people to a birthday party
and expected the “birthday boy” to pay for everybody. The bill
came and people reached for their wallets at the dinner table. “Oh,
no, you guys. Marc will get that,” the woman said. (Needless to
say, Marc was not too happy.) It was the automatic expectation
that made him feel unappreciated.
The same goes for flowers or a gift. Do you act excited and
appreciative, or do you barely mumble a thank-you and then put the
flowers in water? If he brings you a wilted, week-old bunch of
flowers from the supermarket that cost $2.99, hold back. Just
muster up a thank you, smile, and put them in water.
If he gives you a gift, don’t fess up that you always go back and
exchange it, or he’ll stop bringing you little tokens of his affection. If
you can, exchange it for something similar, then tell him it’s the same
one he bought you. Say, “It looks different on, huh?” (He’ll never
know the difference.)
If you want him to give you jewelry, don’t ever utter the words
“pawn shop.” If you pawned jewelry given to you by an exboyfriend
or husband, never disclose that information to a man
you’re seeing.
Acknowledgment is very important to men. A man I know, John,
once ended a relationship with Kate, a woman he was dating,
because he felt she was not grateful for a gift that he gave her. One
day, when he was at her place, she asked him to move an old
television from one room to the next. It had sentimental value to her
because her father had given it to her. Without intending to, he
dropped the TV and it broke. He described what happened: “I felt
really bad, so I went out and bought her a twenty-six-hundreddollar
entertainment center with an amazing TV and stereo. A week
later some friends came over and said, ‘Wow! What a nice TV.
Then she said in a sarcastic tone, ‘John broke the other one.’ I just
about fell off my chair.”
John left her apartment that evening and never saw her again.
Because men aren’t conditioned to express their emotions,
women sometimes assume that when men spend their money, it
doesn’t mean anything to them or they didn’t have to do anything to
earn it. If a man gives you something, show him the respect he
deserves by thanking him for the kindness. If you want to be treated
well, you have to encourage it by making him feel important and
special whenever he does something generous and gracious.
Otherwise, he won’t have an incentive to do it again.
Vinnie, who is very generous by nature, talked about a woman
named Shawna who ordered lobster when they went to an
expensive restaurant. He said, “I don’t mind that she ordered the
lobster, but after that she just picked at it. Then she said, ‘I wasn’t
really hungry, anyway’. That bothered me.”
Again, the issue is whether you act as though you expect or are
owed what he gives you, or whether you appreciate his generosity
and kindness. Many men enjoy feeling like the provider, as long as
they feel appreciated for what they give.
If he opens doors for you, let him know that you admire that,
too. Whenever he feels that you admire his masculinity, and his
brawn, it makes him feel rewarded. This is a way you can build him
up.
Money can also be a telling barometer of where a man is coming
from, or what a man’s intentions are. One woman I know named
Carla dated a man named Guy, who made it very clear that he
couldn’t afford to pay for dates. Guy always had an elaborate
explanation as to why he couldn’t pay. Each time they went out, it
was a Dutch treat. Nevertheless, he insisted on terms that would be
“even Steven.” Fair and square. Without exception.
One time Carla accompanied Guy to a bar with several of his
friends. To her surprise, he had no problem buying his buddies one
drink after another. He paid for two rounds in twenty minutes,
dropping $80 on drinks without thinking twice. “Waitress? My
buddy Steve wants another Long Island iced tea.” It was only that
morning he had asked his date to pay $7 for her scrambled eggs
and bacon at breakfast.
Needless to say, this showed Carla that Guy didn’t have
sufficient value for the relationship so she stopped seeing him.
Usually when a man insists on splitting a check on the first few
dates, he’s showing you right up front he doesn’t value you or the
relationship.
Granted, some women refuse to have a man open doors or pick
up a tab. They refuse to be “paid for.” A bitch has no problem and
no “issues” surrounding being treated well, so she lets a man give—
and she allows herself to receive. The nice girl who won’t allow
herself to be treated to a dinner, deep down usually doesn’t want to
feel obligated to a man and she knows she will be if he pays for
dinner. The bitch has no such complex. She says thank-you politely
and graciously. And at no time does she feel guilty or obligated.
Nor does she feel compromised in any way.
If he’s a student or is truly struggling financially but he still wants
to impress you, he’ll suggest doing something that costs less. Or
he’ll suggest doing something that doesn’t cost anything at all. He
can grab some inexpensive wine and a blanket and take you to a
beautiful park. Or, he can get movie screening tickets. Or, he can
invite you to a party. If he’s absolutely crazy about you, he won’t let
you pay for the tab or go Dutch.
I know of a female doctor named Susie who was living with a
man named George, who was also a doctor. She had just
graduated and was doing her residency, so her income was less
than that of a part-time nurse. George, on the other hand, was a
well-established surgeon and was earning a substantial income.
They lived together in his Hollywood Hills home, which was
almost paid off; still he insisted that Susie pay a sizable sum of
money for so-called “rent.” They also split everything right down the
middle: groceries, the electric bill, and so on, with the exception of
cat litter and cat food, which Susie was required to buy (since it
was her cat).
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #84
When a man is very consumed with
not being taken advantage of,
this is a sign that he’s “on the take.”
Whereas George earned half a million a year, almost all of
Susie’s disposable income went toward her student loans. Compare
the household expenses as they relate to the income of both people:
His income is $500,000.
Her income is $25,000.
They each pay $25,000.
The cat lives rent-free.
In this example, George earns twenty times Susie’s income, but
she’s paying half the bills. Not only this, the rent deposits
transferred from “Bank of Susie” were paying into the equity of his
home. What does this prove? That even an educated, brilliant
woman like Susie can be too nice.
The financial part of any relationship has to be give and take. No
one person should be doing all of the giving. If he’s taking you to an
expensive play or ballet and you don’t have time for dinner because
he ran late at the office, order some Chinese food and have it ready
when he arrives at your front door. If he takes you out to dinner,
pick up some movie tickets on your way home from the gym and
surprise him.
When he offers to take you out and wants you to plan the
evening, take into account his preferences as well as your own. For
example, Linda insisted that her boyfriend, Benny, take her to a
play. Benny is a “man’s man” and hates the ballet or seeing live
plays. Still, she insisted that she wanted to go. He described the
evening: “I gave her my credit card and she got the tickets and
rented me a tux. There I am, holding ‘wussy’ little binoculars with
the long stick on one side. It was an affront to my manhood. I could
not believe I had spent a fortune and then counted the minutes
hoping it would end. That was the last time I let her plan anything
with my credit card.”
When a man asks you to go on a trip with him, be considerate. If
he offers to pay and asks you to make the reservations, consult with
him about the price of various hotels and let him decide. Men love
to feel that they are “in charge” and that their opinion really counts.
(At the very least, pretend.) If he pays for the trip, surprise him and
pay to have breakfast delivered to the room. Or take him out to
dinner to thank him. Buy him a bright colored shirt if you go
somewhere tropical or a warm sweater if you’re hitting the slopes.
Again, it’s all in showing that you respect what he gives. Men, like
women, don’t want to feel taken for granted.
The same goes for a gift that he gives you. If he gives you
something, act excited—even if it’s ugly. “I love it!” One girl-friend
of mine got a T-shirt from her husband. It looked like a cross
between a tie-dye and a paisley print and was so hideous it could
scare small children. Even though she hated the shirt, she wore it for
him when they were at home, just to make him feel good.
More often than not, women who are too nice err on the side of
giving too much. They give to a fault. The woman who is too nice
senses that he “needs her” and she runs to his aid like a Red Cross
rescue missionary. And she gives— blindly.
For example, Abby married an Italian man named Franco to help
him get his green card. Somewhere along the line during the staged
marriage, he convinced her that he was madly in love with her. He
found out she was a vegetarian, so he gave up pasta and ate
vegetables. She loved hiking, so he took up hiking. She was
“spiritual” and he decided he was “spiritual” too. The couple’s
interview with the INS was successful and Franco was approved to
get his green card. A day later he packed his bags and said, “Ciao,
bella!” Then he rode off into the sunset. She didn’t have an
engagement ring, but she did end up with a huge legal bill for their
divorce.
I’ve also seen women who are too nice loan money to men.
Usually it’s the women who are struggling who don’t think twice
about handing out their hard-earned money. She’ll loan him money
to buy a stereo for his car when she needs regular maintenance
done on her own. The rule on loaning money? Don’t.
For example, Cheryl, who fits the profile of a bitch, told me the
following story. She had dated Rick a couple of times, but she
didn’t see him consistently because he traveled a lot. After their
third date, he hit her up for a loan. As she describes, “Rick called
me from Tahoe and said he had ‘an emergency’. He asked me to
wire him a thousand dollars to a Western Union office that was on
the other side of the river. But then he kept changing his story about
what the money was for. One story was it was a child-support
payment to some woman named Babs, for a kid he never even told
me he had. He said that he would need to board a river-boat to get
to the Western Union station across the river. The fee was thirtyfive
dollars each way. So I said, ‘Absolutely! I will wire the money.
Hurry up and catch that boat.’”
Rick didn’t quite catch on. He called later that evening after his
roundtrip boat ride and told her that the money hadn’t arrived.
Cheryl acted stunned and then insisted profusely that she had, in
fact, wired the money. “You really have to watch those money
wires. I am going to go right down to that office and see what went
wrong tomorrow morning!”
The following day Rick went on a second boat ride to get his
“loot” from Western Union. To his complete and utter surprise, no
funds were forthcoming.
Obviously, Cheryl had no desire to see him again because it was
in bad taste for him to call someone he barely knew and make this
request. But she remembers the incident with a certain fondness.
“Hey, I figured the fresh air might do Rick some good. And, if all
else fails, he can get a job on the ferryboat.”
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #85
People will show you they have self-respect
simply by virtue of the fact that they want
to carry their own weight.
A bitch is not mean; she just doesn’t volunteer for any “joyrides.”
If the man wants to go on a joyride and extends an open invitation,
she can choose not to go. Yes, treat others the way you want to be
treated. But, at the same time, expect that the man in your life treats
you the same way.
The bitchier woman would never let a man think that she’s there
because she has “nowhere else to go.” Her financial independence
is a constant reminder to him, however subtle, that if he makes her
“stay” unpleasant, she won’t be staying for very long. This ensures
that the relationship remains respectful, reciprocal, and kind . . . to
all.
9
HOW TO
Renew
THE MENTAL CHALLENGE
How to Regain That “Spark”
“One of the things about
equality is not that you be
treated equally to a man, but
that you treat yourself equally
to the way you treat a man.”
—MARLO THOMAS
Step 1: Instead of Asking Him to Focus on
You, Focus on Yourself
What turns a man on about an independent woman is that she is
independent of him. When a man is with an independent woman,
he feels as though he has an equal partner. When she gives up her
everyday activities, he slowly begins to view her as less interesting.
Instead of thinking that he’s scored a wonderful prize, he now
begins to view her as extra weight.
The first thing a woman has to do to get that sexy “spark” back is
t o shift her focus and energy back onto herself. She has to
develop interests outside her man, just as she did when he was new
in her life. Men often find a woman who has passionate interests
and activities of her own to be more exciting. They don’t have to be
things he’s interested in necessarily just as long she has interests of
her own.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #86
The more independent you are of him,
the more interested he will be.
The story that follows proves my point. Rob, an attractive,
successful man who could have his pick of any woman he wanted,
was mystified by a most unlikely woman. He describes Laura as a
“conservative computer nerd” who wears long pleated skirts. After
a few dates, he invited her to go on a cruise. Rob wasn’t lacking in
the confidence department, and he thought he’d teach Laura how to
have fun. He thought he’d “rock her world.” Laura said she
couldn’t go. The reason? She had a preplanned Tupperware party.
Rob told what happened next: “I kept hoping she’d change her
mind. I ended up going on the cruise by myself and ended up flying
home after one day to see what she was up to. A Tupperware
party? It couldn’t be. I simply could not believe that she’d pass on
an exotic vacation with me for a Tupperware party. I figured she
had to be seeing some other man. I had to see for myself”.
He flew home and dropped by that Saturday evening when
Laura’s party was supposed to be going on. Sure enough, lo and
behold, he was dumbfounded and astonished to find that she was
actually having a Tupperware party.
When he showed up, Laura was happy to see him. She invited
him in and offered him a finger sandwich. Rob could have just as
easily been eating spiny lobster or exotic seafood en route to the
Bahamas at that very moment with any woman he wanted. Instead,
he was nibbling on a soggy little tuna sandwich with a toothpick in it.
He could have been watching a world-class Vegas-style show,
instead the highlighted entertainment on the agenda was
Tupperware containers: Gingerbread-shaped ones, star-shaped
ones, and even heart-shaped ones.
Rob still remembers it with disbelief. “There I am listening to a
bunch of cackling women, watching them go AWOL over some
plastic bowls. I drank coffee in a fancy teacup with a teeny tiny
spoon. I could not believe it. I was thinking, ‘No. This cannot be
so. I don’t hold a candle to a this?’”
Was Laura being mean? Not at all. She just didn’t go down the
beaten path of giving up her own interests in exchange for something
he thought would be better. What blew Rob’s mind was that her
activity meant more to her than the cruise or being with him. He
said, “From that point on, she had my full attention.” And the
unlikely couple became a hot item.
Rob had put on his best “mack-daddy” show-stopping routine,
and Laura wasn’t that impressed. Unlike the bitchier woman, the
nice girl will often appear easily impressed. She’ll make her desire
to have a relationship much too obvious, which often invites
mistreatment.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #87
If you make it too obvious that you’re excited
to get something, some people will be tempted to
dangle a carrot in front of your face.
“Getting a life” will make it seem like you are no longer
impetuous, or impatient. When you are relaxed, you’ve taken the
“need” out of the equation. You no longer appear needy, which
immediately changes the dynamic of a stale relationship.
If you want to renew the challenge, it is imperative to continue
the activities you did before he came on the scene. He’ll notice
the very first time you tell him that you can’t see him because of
something else you have planned. It will catch him off guard—and it
will fester.
It really throws men off if the activity appears to be something
mundane. In the previous example, it was a Tupperware party; but
anything along the lines of knitting, gardening, or pottery will do the
trick. Rest assured, his ego won’t let him lose out to a sweater, a
potted plant, or a mound of clay
No matter what you choose, as long as you are passionate about
something other than him, it will draw him back in. Guaranteed.
He’ll be asking himself the same question he asked himself in the
first weeks of dating you. “How could she want to do that, when
she could be with me?”
When you will not drop everything to be with him, you’ll appear
as though you have more going for you. This will remind him of your
worth, and invariably, he will begin to come your way.
Step 2: Alter the Routine
It’s essential when renewing the mental challenge to alter the
routine that he’s become accustomed to. When the mental
challenge is gone, the routine becomes predictable and he is on
“automatic pilot.” His mind can drift elsewhere because he isn’t
sufficiently being stimulated by you. So, let’s let the stimulation
commence, shall we?
As Harry Truman said, “If you can’t convince ’em, confuse ’em.”
How? By altering the pattern completely. Give no attitude and no
complaints. Instead of seeing him regularly, make the schedule
random. Random means he shouldn’t be able to predict like
clockwork when he’ll see you next or when he’ll hear from you
next.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #88
When you alter the routine, your not being there
at times is what will make him come around.
Men don’t respond to words.
What they respond to is no contact.
This applies to whether you are dating or married. If you need to
renew the mental challenge, alter the pattern. Whenever he seems
complacent, just alter the pattern. Single women often make plans
based on when the man calls. Married women often wait for a man
to come home from work. And single and married women alike
regularly wait by the phone for a call.
Tracy is a woman who benefited from altering the pattern in her
marriage. She used to feel as though her husband, Allen, took her
for granted when he would travel out of town on business. Tracy
used to wait for Allen’s long-distance call every night, even if it
meant giving up her own plans to do so. Predictably, Allen started
to behave as if calling her was a chore, as though he was “checking
in.” Or punching a clock. He’d call around 7:30 P.M. and then rush
her off the phone so he could go out for drinks with his colleagues.
Girlfriend decided to rock the boat. How? By staying just outside
his reach. When he went on his next business trip, she drove him to
the airport and didn’t say, “Call me when you get there.” For the
entire trip, half the time she was there when he called; the other half
she couldn’t be reached. She was out visiting some girlfriends she
hadn’t seen in awhile, and didn’t rush home to wait for his call.
The first evening that Tracy didn’t wait for his call, Allen flipped.
His whole orientation changed immediately. He called at 7:30 P.M.
and virtually every half-hour after that until 10:30 P.M. He went out,
had half a drink, and then went right back to his room to call his
wife again. Tracy walked in at 10:59; the phone rang at 11:01.
Whereas before it was a chore, now Allen was happy to reach
her. She was happy, too, especially when she looked down at the
answering machine and saw that it was flashing a big red 9. (Six
messages from him, and three mysterious hang-ups.) And everyone
went to bed happy
Suddenly Allen missed Tracy. Why? Because she had a life of
her own outside of their relationship.
Never stop living your life. Take a class. Develop a hobby. Meet
people. You are only as interesting as the depths of your own
interests.
The mere fact that you are content with your life keeps you
interesting. You are happy with him or without him and this keeps
you . . . just outside his reach.
A textbook example is Ellen, a married woman who felt taken for
granted. She regularly cooks dinner for her husband, Sydney, and
their two kids. Sydney was the only one working, and he frequently
stayed late at the office. Usually he didn’t show up for dinner. What
upset her most, however, was that Sydney would leave her guessing
about his dinner plans, and didn’t call if he was running very late.
Sometimes she’d reheat his plate three times before he got home.
She had formed a pattern of saying, “The kids need to see you at
the dinner table, Sydney”. But night after night, she found herself
reheating his dinner, long after their kids had gone to bed.
Ellen, like many nice girls, was too tolerant. The bitch, on the
other hand, would rearrange the dinner agenda. She would alter
the routine. In a nice quiet moment, she’d look at her husband and
casually say, “Hey sweetie, I can see you aren’t going to be home
during the week. So, I’m not going to bother to cook for you. If
there are leftovers from the kids, I’ll put them in the fridge. But it
may be better if you picked something up on the way home.”
For a few nights he’d pick up some food on the way home. The
first night he’d grab some Kentucky Fried Chicken, perhaps. The
second night he’d upgrade to a deli. And after the cold pastrami
sandwich from the corner deli, he’d have a little Alka-Seltzer to
help with the heartburn. It wouldn’t be long before he’d be coming
home for a home-cooked meal, happily. And sliding into home . . .
right on time.
Another woman named Sandy told me about how she felt taken
for granted when she was on her hands and knees cleaning the
kitchen floor, after she had cooked for her husband, Wade. He had
just started eating and then he came over to her and said, “It is
really inconsiderate of you to clean the floor right now. That stuff
stinks. Could you please wait until I’m finished eating?” She resisted
the urge to strangle him.
For the rest of the week, Sandy backed off. She spoke to him
very superficially and became a loof. He had to ask her, “What’s
wrong?” a dozen times before she addressed what was on her
mind. She went from “worker bee” to “queen bee” in just a few
short days.
First stop on Sandy’s agenda? A maid. She absolutely insisted
on it. Then she addressed some table etiquette. Wade often started
eating without her and got up before she ever sat down. She said
she didn’t cook for two, so that she could eat alone. She also
suggested going out to eat sometimes, even if it was to a less
expensive place. Then she stuck to her guns. Not only do they now
have a maid, they also have “date night” once a week.
In both of these instances, by altering the “dinner agenda,” the
women let their husbands know without words that they, too, had
something to lose. Their actions said: “Either we meet in the middle
or we don’t meet.” (And you won’t eat.)
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #89
Don’t give a reward for bad behavior.
Women often make the mistake of going down the beaten path
of catering to a man, even when feeling taken for granted. A perfect
example is a woman named Laurie who recently called into my
radio show. Laurie is a single mom who doesn’t have a lot of
money. She ran around for two entire days looking for a special
heart-shaped pan in order to bake her boyfriend a cake for
Valentine’s Day.
Trivia question: Do you think a guy’s going to care if the cake is
shaped like a heart?
He’d probably have preferred a cake in the shape of a wrench or
a remote control. In fact, right around Valentine’s Day, and shortly
after Super Bowl Sunday, you can get a foot-ball-shaped cake at
the bakery. All you have to do is take the little football people off,
throw an asymmetrical “Happy Valentine’s Day” on there. Time
expenditure? Reduced from two whole days to twelve minutes.
Any woman who feels taken for granted should definitely ease up
on the Betty Crocker efforts. It’s true that men say, “A man’s love
comes from his stomach.” But there’s nothing in this statement that
requires you to cook the food before it ends up in his stomach. The
question must then be asked: Who should cook it? So many
choices, so little time.
The fortune cookie says, it can be delivered. Or, you can pick it
up. He can take you out. He can cook on the six-foot beast of a
barbecue that he just “had to have.” Think of how much fun it is for
him. He can spread out both burgers one on each side of the grill,
two feet apart from each other. And the bigger the grill, the more
virile he’ll feel when using it.
If he suggests using the grill, definitely encourage it. Then offer to
do the dishes. When he starts cooking, set the table like the classy
lady you are. Put out two paper plates and two Dixie cups, and
plastic silverware. No table linens needed—just fold a couple of
Bounty paper towels.
It’s never too early to invite him to participate in kitchen
activities. In fact, I’d suggest engaging him on this issue the first time
he comes over to your place. Usually by then you’ll have gone out a
few times, and there is a comfortable rapport.
Walk him into the kitchen and take him on a nice little “Tour de
France.” Say, “Here are the glasses . . . here are the cups . . . here
are the plates. The drinks are right here. If there is anything else you
need, please do not hesitate to help yourself. My home is your
home.”
While you’re showing your guest where the drinks are, you’ll
want to casually add, “I only have one little request. I have a little
ant problem and, uh, all the dishes need to go directly into the
dishwasher.” What he doesn’t realize is that you’ve just told him
you won’t wait on him, and that there’s no busboy on the premises.
If he wants a drink, you’ve let him know he’s welcome to help
himself. If he wants a snack, he now knows where to find it.
Don’t try to be the “happy helper.” He won’t value your efforts
when you automatically assume the role of a servant. If, however,
you are reciprocating for kindness that he has been consistently
extending to you, he’ll think of everything you give as a special treat.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #90
He simply won’t respect a woman who
automatically goes into overdrive to please him.
Sometimes changing the routine is a matter of changing the dinner
agenda; at other times, it’s a matter of changing the times or dates
of your little rendezvous.
A college student named Anita provided a classic example of
what happens when a woman doesn’t pay close attention to the
way the pattern is set up in the first place. The first symptom will
almost always be that you sense you are being put “on hold.”
Anita describes how the pattern was set up. “I saw Dave several
times a week. He’d call me on my cell phone after class around 4
P.M. and we’d make plans. He started calling later and later. I’d be
on pins and needles all afternoon not knowing if he and I had plans
that night. I gave up a lot of activities because he was always
keeping me ‘at bay’”.
Women like Anita end up “at bay” for the simple reason that they
are willing to wait. Once he knows you’re waiting he’ll make you
wait forever. This is when it’s time to alter the routine.
In Anita’s situation, the solution is straightforward. She should
make herself less available, and schedule the time he is picking her
up at least a day earlier. (Notice that she does not offer to travel to
see him.) All she needs to do is ask, “What time were you thinking
of getting together?” Dave could respond, “I’ll call you tomorrow
when I get off work”. The trick is not to leave it at that. Simply say,
“Gee, I may not be here and I’d sure hate to miss you. Just to be
safe, let’s pick a time now”.
Whether it’s early or late, agree to a time the day before the
scheduled date. If he insists on “letting you know later,” just tell him
that your cell phone isn’t working, your pager won’t be on, or you
can’t take personal calls at work.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #91
If he doesn’t give you a time,
you don’t have a date.
Sometimes men blame a friend. If you hear anything along the
lines of: “My buddy is stopping by tomorrow night. I haven’t seen
him in a while. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take. I can’t be
rude to him and throw him out.” Simply say, “No problem. Have a
good time tomorrow night.” Then, without showing any “attitude,”
tell him you’ll be available to see him a different night. Again, what
men respond to is no contact.
The alternative is that you waste two hours waiting for a call.
That’s two hours you can spend going to the gym or doing
something else that’s important to you. Most professional women,
or mothers, or students who juggle busy schedules don’t have two
hours in the day to themselves. But they’ll spend that time, without
flinching, waiting on a phone call.
Altering the routine means mixing things up. If you call twice a
day and he doesn’t seem happy to hear from you, call more
sporadically and less often. If you generally get together on
weekends, tell him you can see him that week on a weekday. This
week you can see him Tuesday and Friday. Next week? Thursday
and Saturday.
One happily married woman I know named Margaret, shared
one of her secrets. She said, “Whenever I feel like my husband is
getting a little distant, I’ll just take off for the weekend to visit
friends or family. I’ll let him know Thursday that I’m heading out
Friday and that I’ll be back late on Sunday. I may call once while
I’m gone to let him know where I am. And it never fails . . . he’s
always his usual, loving self again when I come back home.”
Here are a few more suggestions on how to alter the routine:
If you always call the office to find out when he’s
coming home, from time to time, don’t be home when
he gets in.
Don’t tell him your whereabouts for every moment of
the day
If he calls you on your cell phone, don’t always rush to
pick up.
If he pages you, don’t call back within thirty seconds.
Or, don’t call back. Let him get hold of you at home—
not when you’re out and about.
If he calls on the phone, don’t go out of your way to
answer it. Let him leave a message. Or, you if want to
be considerate, tell him you won’t be around
beforehand.
If you sit by the phone and check your “caller ID” or
dial “*69” as if your next breath depended on it, turn
the ringer off. Read a book. Rent a movie.
If you live together, leave and go have some fun. And
stay out a couple of hours longer than he expected. If
he always expects you home at a certain time, come
home a little later.
The second he doesn’t know where his woman is he’ll come
looking for you. He’s a hunter. He’ll pursue you. He has an inborn
drive that’s very territorial . . . over you. But if you try too hard, you
won’t tap that hunger. He’ll be satiated—and that means, you
won’t leave him wanting more.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #92
Often the best way to adjust or fix the problem is by
not letting him know it’s being fixed. When you alter
your availability or change a predictable routine, it
will mentally pull him back in.
Step 3: Regain Your Sense of Humor
When you lose your sense of humor in a relationship, it’s usually
around the time that you become “sprung.” This means, you’ve
become consumed with your partner’s “every move.” And chances
are, you’re often easily upset by what you aren’t getting in the
relationship.
A sense of humor is a sexy quality. Men may not come out and
say it, but they notice when you lose that “edge.” In the beginning,
you probably bantered with him more and had a quick wit. When
the mental challenge goes, so does the sense of humor.
A very effective way to put a man in his place or to keep him in
check is with humor. You can let him know in a fun, playful way
that your security as a woman doesn’t depend on him.
A sense of humor is more than just finding something funny to
say; it’s about a person’s composure. It lets people know you are
comfortable in your skin. It lets him know you aren’t sprung. The
goal is not to become a knee-slapping standup comic; that’s not
effective because it makes it seem like you’re trying too hard.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #93
Once you start laughing, you start healing.
It’s sexy to be able to banter because humor suggests you’re an
independent thinker. Not only can you think for yourself, but you
can laugh at what you see happening around you. If you verbally
play-fight with him a little, it’s unlikely that he will perceive you as
needy.
When he teases you, it’s as if he is asking you, “Still got that
edge?” Your sense of humor answers him and lets him know that he
isn’t always going to call the shots.
Here’s a case in point. A girlfriend of mine went on a couple of
dates with a guy who criticized the color of her nail polish. She said,
“The suggestion department is closed for the evening. But fax your
idea tomorrow and we’ll file it right over there in the suggestion
box.” (Then she pointed to the kitchen trash.) These two are still
together and he is absolutely crazy about her. To this day, she
wears the same nail polish color.
Humor not only defuses a situation, it also makes you come out
smelling like a rose. Tom Hanks exemplified this in an interview with
Barbara Walters. Paraphrasing what she said, “I don’t mean to hurt
your feelings, Tom, but you aren’t considered a sex symbol.” He
said, “Yeah, but I embrace that. And I think that makes me kinda
sexy.” He could have chosen to become defensive. Instead he was
disarming.
If you don’t become defensive and you laugh things off from time
to time, he’ll respect you more. This is when you show whether you
believe in yourself. For example, he may make fun of the way you
parked your car. This kind of joking makes him feel manly. A
relaxed aura from a woman who can laugh at herself turns him on
because he thinks she’ll be entertaining and fun.
It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a potato sack. A feisty quality
will do it for him more than a black nightie on a woman who
behaves as though she is desperate for approval. (Yes, even if
you’re wearing the thigh highs that cut off your circulation and
practically cause you to lose a limb.)
Successful politicians are coached on how to use humor to win
people over and show confidence. When Ronald Reagan ran for
president, he was asked in a debate about the detriment of being
the oldest candidate to ever run for the highest office. His response
was “I refuse to exploit for my political gain the youth and
inexperience of my opponent.”
In a relationship with a man, whenever you want to keep him on
his toes, banter with him. If he says something a little out of line, just
say, “We’ll let that one slide.” Or, “Why do I put up with this?” Or
ask him if he wants one broken leg or two . . .
One woman I know named Darla dated a man who made a
complete mess every time he came over. They also had a good sex
life. He made a pass at Darla and she play-fully snubbed him. Then
she walked over to the sink and started doing all his dishes. She
said jokingly, “The more time I spend doing dishes, the less time we
spend doing ‘the deed’.” Suddenly, the happy helper started
pitching in.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #94
You can get away with saying much more with
humor than you can with a straight face.
The man in your life watches you. He watches to see how you
stand your ground. He watches to see how you respond when he
teases you and when you receive criticism from him or someone
else. He’ll test the waters, because he wants to see how you fight
back. He wants to see if you can hold your own.
And while we’re on the subject of humor, let us now focus our
attentions on the word bitch. If that fateful day ever does arrive
when he tells you that you are a bitch? Stop, and take a deep
breath. Then enjoy the moment. Smile internally as you say to
yourself, “Okay. Now I know he truly does love me.”
10
THE
New AND Improved
BITCH
The Survival Guide for Women
Who Are Too Nice
“Always give them the old
fire. Even when you feel like
a squashed cake of ice.”
—ETHEL MERMAN
The Bitch Stands Her Ground
The “new and improved” bitch is not a bad thing. She is a refined
version of the proverbial, “old” bitch. She’s not abrasive or mean,
nor does she nag to get what she wants. She speaks with her
actions, and she’s only a bitch when she has to be. One of the most
telling signs that a woman “has arrived” is that she’s not obsessed
with pleasing a man, or anyone other than herself. Who is this “new
and improved bitch?” See the following definition:
Bitch (noun): A woman who won’t bang her head against the
wall obsessing over someone else’s opinion— be it a man or
anyone else in her life. She understands that if someone does
not approve of her, it’s just one person’s opinion; therefore,
it’s of no real importance. She doesn’t try to live up to anyone
else’s standards— only her own. Because of this, she relates
to a man very differently.
The bitch also perceives herself differently. She’ll get into the
“boxing ring,” so to speak, with the mindset that she’s an “equal
opponent” to a man. With a nice girl, a man automatically thinks of
himself as the “heavyweight” and of her as the “featherweight”
(a.k.a., the underdog). A confident woman who enters the ring and
doesn’t go down without a fight earns the respect of a man, even if
she loses. Why? Because then he knows she’s a woman with
heart. If she goes down, she goes down swinging. And when they
step out of the ring, he can’t help but have more respect for her.
The bitch behaves in a way that a man understands. She speaks
to him in the same language he uses when he talks to his male
friends, which, again, lets him know she’s on a level playing field.
She is able to communicate without a lot of “gray area,” and she’s
forthright. Don’t think this matters? Take a peek at a side-by-side
comparison:
THE NICE GIRL THE BITCH
She’ll try to sweet-talk a
man into giving her
what she wants on a
regular basis. If she
doesn’t get it, she’ll cry,
get upset, or pout.
She won’t sugarcoat anything or
use euphemisms. She is direct
about what her preferences are
and lets him know what the dos
and don’ts are, with respect to
how he treats her.
She’ll play the guilt card
or talk about her “inner
child”; she seems to
possess a childlike
quality.
She is a grown woman, so
there’s nothing “childlike” about
her. She has a no-nonsense
philosophy.
If he hurts her in some
way she’ll cry Then
she’ll make him
apologize and promise
not to do it again.
She’ll back off and let her silence
do the talking. Then she’ll
communicate when she’s ready,
on her own terms; at this point,
she makes it clear it won’t
happen again, because if it does
she won’t be around.
She tells herself, “He
didn’t mean that.” Or,
she makes excuses if
She notices his disrespect
instantly and, without hesitation,
she makes excuses if
he behaves badly. calls him on the carpet over it.
She forces herself to
do something she is
uncomfortable with in
order to please a man.
She also puts on a
happy face and
pretends that she likes
it.
She won’t do anything she’s not
comfortable with and won’t
hesitate to let him know She
meets him on a level playing
field.
ONE = A DOCILE WOMAN
= LOSS OF RESPECT
THE OTHER = A DESIRABLE WOMAN
= INCREASED RESPECT
Rarely, if ever, will two grown men have a drawn-out
conversation that ends with: “You hurt my feelings!” The closest
thing a man will say to another man about feelings is, “You really
pissed me off”.
As an example, hypothetically, one guy may borrow money from
his friend and not pay it back. A long mushy conversation will not
take place. If any exchange happens at all, it’s short and sweet and
ends with, “Screw you, asshole!” Then they stop hanging out
together and that’s the end of it.
Because the bitch will “tell it like it is,” a man will respect the way
she communicates. In a man’s eyes, anger isn’t weakness. He’ll
think she has more self-control than a woman who is emotional.
With the emotional woman, he’ll rationalize that she’s hormonally
unbalanced because of her monthly cycle. Or he’ll think she’s
weak. But, with a bitch, he’ll think she knows what she does and
weak. But, with a bitch, he’ll think she knows what she does and
doesn’t want. She knows what she likes and what she dislikes. She
has “spirit.” (And I don’t mean the cheerleading kind.)
When you say the word B-I-T-C-H out loud, don’t say it like it’s
a bad thing. According to some, the word derives from the first
letters in the following phrase: Babe In Total Control of Herself.
The only higher crown, the only higher honor, is to be called a
“High-Maintenance Bitch.” It’s a sign of success, indicating that this
is the woman the guy ends up keeping. If nothing else, he keeps
her for the very practical reason that he’s invested so much that he
can’t let her go. And he’s still trying to win her over.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #95
A man feels he’s won, or conquered a woman,
when she eats out of the palm of his hand.
At which point, he begins to get bored.
The Bitch Is Never Fully Conquered
So why do men love bitches? With a bitch, they never feel as
though they've quite conquered her, so they keep trying. Some men
try for a lifetime.
When a man is with a woman who is willing to bend over
backward, it almost invites mistreatment. Charlotte catered to her
boyfriend, Tom, constantly. His interest was starting to fade.
Charlotte thought she’d win Tom back by throwing a party for
him on the beach. She planned an elaborate party and invited all his
friends. She also decided to pay over $3,000 to hire a sky-writing
service for the event. There were two planes and they made a big
beautiful heart in the sky followed by the words, “I love you
always.” Once the planes arrived overhead, it took almost a halfhour
for them to do an exquisite job. When they were finished,
everyone was in awe. It was breathtaking, and everyone thought so
— except Tom (who had unfortunately called an hour previously to
say he couldn’t make it). By then, it was too late for Charlotte to
get a refund on the fortune she had spent. She tried to cancel, but it
was too late. The planes had already taken off and were en route to
the party.
The example with Charlotte is not uncommon. This is what
happens when a woman is too nice and will jump through hoops: It
invites bad behavior.
While the nice girl loses her mind, the bitch, on the other hand,
makes the man lose his. When a woman keeps a level head, a man
will often become much more intrigued with her. He’ll think about
her constantly, he won’t be able to get enough of her, and he’ll
eventually decide he can’t live without her.
It’s a basic difference between men and women: Women want
safety and predictability and men long for excitement, danger, and
unpredictability. As a child, the nice girl played with Barbie and her
Ken doll; she grew up with the mental image that she, too, would
live “happily ever after.” Little boys want nothing to do with the Ken
doll—they identify with exciting figures who live dangerously, like
Batman, Superman, and Spiderman.
Ask any mother which child she finds more trouble-some—a son
or a daughter. Most mothers confess that boys are more difficult,
especially if there are more tha n one. Why? For most men, safe =
boring. So they look for ways to add excitement and danger, and
go out of their way to pursue things that are difficult. It’s this very
element of danger that draws him to a bitch.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #96
The tension that arises with a slightly bitchy
woman gives a subtle feeling of danger to a man.
He feels slightly unsure because she is never
in the palm of his hand.
Think about what things men collect, or the things that fascinate
them. Guns, ammunition, sports cards, sci-fi magazines, pocket
knives, little metal cars, power tools, and a “rechargeable” flashlight.
(Your job is to act riveted. “Wow, rechargeable?”) Oh, and let’s
not forget the “priceless” collection of little army men (just to die
for) and the high-speed stuff: cars, Jet Skis, motorcycles, and
airplanes.
The nice girl makes the mistake of nurturing a man and making
him feel too “safe.” Men get bored very easily, which is why too
much predictability and safety makes the relationship seem
monotonous to him. With the bitch, it isn’t monotonous.
The nice girl buries her head in the sand when she ignores a
man’s need for stimulation, danger, or “a challenge.” This is to her
detriment. She’s like an ostrich. When an ostrich sees a hunting
animal, instead of facing the tiger head-on, it’ll bury its head in the
sand. Hence, it becomes “din din.”
The bitch takes the head-on approach, but the nice girl takes the
“buried head” approach. The bitch sees what’s actually there. The
nice girl sees what she wants to see.
In the first month alone, here’s what the “nice girl” will do . . .
She’ll give him a foot massage. Then she’ll cook eggs with six
ingredients and pancakes on the side. She’ll drive to do his laundry
and iron his shirts. Then she’ll read him poems and want to cuddle
all day. After he dumps her, she’ll say, “I can’t believe he did this to
me!”
Many women believe that men want a woman who will do . . .
whatever they tell her to do. In theory, men want this. But in
practice, when they actually get it, they’ll tire of it almost
instantaneously.
The minute a man thinks he can “do no wrong” in your eyes and
you’ll accept anything he dishes out, you’ve already “waved a white
flag” with regard to his having the hots for you. His desire will come
to a screeching halt.
Don’t buy the one about him wanting a “damsel in distress,”
either. As one man said, “When you rescue a damsel in distress, all
you get stuck with is a distressed damsel.”
The notion that a woman has to “spill her guts out” in order to
truly be in love isn’t a sign of love, it’s about becoming “din din.” He
sees a docile woman and he says to himself, “Oh, no. A cling-on.
Am I going to have to carry around this bag of Jell-O forever?”
Once he realizes this, he calls less often or stops calling altogether—
after he has sex with her.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #97
A “yes” woman who gives too much sends
the impression that she believes in the man more
than she believes in herself.
Men view this as weakness not kindness.
When the nice girl needs a man too much and puts him on a
pedestal, she treats him with a view of himself that even he doesn’t
hold. And it makes him very uncomfortable because he knows
(better than anyone) that he “ain’t no white knight.” But he knows
it’s her fantasy, so he gives it the “good ol’ college try”. He makes a
forced effort to try to be romantic, and it isn’t long before he begins
to question whether she’s being disingenuous, too. He thinks to
himself, “Hmm . . . I wonder what she’s really like. She can’t
possibly be that nice.” Like a low-interest-rate credit card that’s
only good for the first month, he’ll start to feel he’s getting the
“promo package.” Not the real deal.
With the bitch, it’s straight-up and real. There’s no concern that
either side will do a “bait and switch.” He tests her once or twice,
and she puts him in his place each time. Then two things happen.
First, he says to himself, “This one’s not dumb. She won’t buy my
bullcrap.”
Second, he feels as though she’s seen him for who he really is.
She’s seen “the worst,” and she likes him anyway. Likewise, he’s
seen “the worst” in her, so he doesn’t feel as though there is a
surprise “lurking” inside her. When he’s with a bitch, he may be
annoyed from time to time, but he believes that what they share is
real.
The Bitch Is Defined from Within
Eddie Murphy once said in an interview: “The best advice I ever
heard is, don’t take anyone else’s advice.” There’s power in this
because it puts you in the conductor’s seat, right at “the controls” in
your life. It doesn’t mean you should stop seeking information or
outside input, it just means that you’re the one driving. You choose
your own destination.
This attitude directly impacts whether a man will view you as
independent. The minute you stop being an independent thinker and
he starts having to think for you, you catapult right out of the
“driver’s” seat and land right in the “doormat” seat. The minute
someone else can dictate what you think or how you feel about
yourself, you are at their mercy.
This attitude also influences success in many other areas. As long
as you let someone else make decisions regarding your career,
dreams, or aspirations, you’ve limited yourself drastically. You’ll
only be as good as that person allows you to become.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #98
Be an independent thinker at all times,
and ignore anyone who attempts to define
you in a limiting way.
Whether it’s your taste in clothing, your needs in a relationship,
or what you do for a living—don’t let anyone else be at the
controls. Define yourself.
The minute you become an independent thinker, two things will
happen. First, positive people and things will be drawn to you like a
magnet. Second, it will serve as a deterrent for negative people who
will try to distract you from achieving your goals. There will always
be people who will be there to plant negative seeds in your garden,
if you make yourself available for that.
Standing up for yourself doesn’t always involve verbal
confrontation. Sometimes it’s about not wasting energy on people
who are negative.
ATTRACTION PRINCIPLE #99
Truly powerful people don’t explain why
they want respect. They simply don’t engage
someone who doesn’t give it to them.
This may seem very simple and obvious to a person with selfesteem,
but it’s usually the very thing that the nice girl does not do.
She’ll cosign on the dotted line for a guy who has lousy credit.
She’ll sleep with him before knowing his middle name. And above
all, she’ll let him decide what her value is as a woman, instead of
deciding this for herself.
Kindness is always the first choice. But there are times when you
can’t be kind to someone who doesn’t have your best interests in
mind. When you see this behavior, it’s appropriate to be kind to
yourself by responding to it, either by correcting the situation or by
not allowing the person to have access to you.
The bitch can be a soft—and very feminine—woman, but she still
has a quiet dignity. This woman lets people know in a graceful way
that she won’t be easily manipulated. She won’t jump through
hoops. And she won’t define herself by what other people think.
A perfect example is my soft-spoken Japanese friend Masae.
She’s been living in the United States for less than a year, and she
speaks broken English with a Japanese accent. Nevertheless, she’s
a wonderful example of the grace and quiet strength that I’m
describing.
Masae was seeing an American man named Steven for some
time. It was his birthday, so she decided to cook him a Japanese
feast. She made miso soup, several types of sushi, and two
authentic hot main courses. She was also an exemplary hostess. The
only feedback Steven gave was that the soy sauce was too salty.
“Next time get the one with the green lid, because it’s lower in
sodium.”
Masae was astonished, but she kept her composure. She said to
him, with her limited language skills, “I cook for you. But if you
complain? I no do for you.” She’s had nothing but praise ever since.
As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior
without your consent.” A positive person will say positive things,
especially when you aren’t feeling up. When you leave his company,
you’ll feel as though your batteries have been recharged. When you
meet someone who is truly great, he makes you believe you can be
great, too. This is the kind of relationship you want, and it’s the only
kind of relationship worth having.
The longer you practice being an independent thinker, the more
attractive you’ll be. You’ll put a “magic spell” on a man. A deadly
“mojo.” You’ll wake up and feel happier than you’ve ever been.
Your aura and your life force will slowly come back.
The media doesn’t perpetuate this; instead they fuel a “cookie
cutter” mentality that women are supposed to fit into a box. “Wear
this because this is hot.” (Change the channel.) “You have got to get
this look”. (Change the channel.) “Say those affirmation jingles:
Claim it; then shame it. Own it and condone it . . .” (Change the
channel.) “This organic hair color will turn heads.”
When a woman is secure with herself, she isn’t afraid to define
herself and defy public opinion. She has her own look. Her own
style. Her own charisma. Her own brand of charm. A man wants
something he doesn’t see every day. Not in terms of a redhead
versus a blonde. He wants the rare woman who can think for
herself.
When it comes to a commitment or a relationship with most
women, many men feel like lion trainers. It’s as though they have to
use a chair to get the lions to back away. “Back off . . . back off . .
.” So when they meet a woman who has the confidence to hold her
own—or make them come her way— it has a different effect.
They’re not used to it, so they become intrigued.
The bitch isn’t afraid to be different, which is why she won’t be a
“booty call” or a pearl on a long string of pearls. She won’t be a
man’s latenight convenience. She won’t be doing lap dances. She
won’t be afraid to turn thirty or forty years old. At any age, this
woman will feel like a “prize.” She won’t be defined by the media’s
perception of aging; she won’t be made to feel like defective
livestock because she is no longer a teenager. Married, single, or
divorced, this woman feels good about herself.
A woman with an exterior that is too tough is not the “new and
improved” bitch I’m speaking of. Abrasiveness is not the objective.
In Italy, there is a very common expression: È tutto fumo e niente
arrosto. Literally, it means, “There is plenty of smoke, but nothing
is getting roasted.” When a woman is too abrasive or too bitchy, or
she pretends to be too much of anything, she rarely has anything to
back it up. The “new and improved bitch” is truly strong, because
she is nice. But she also demands the same kindness in return.
The Bitch Has a Strong Will and Faith in
Herself
When I set out to talk to men about this book, I wasn’t sure what
to expect. I thought that some might react to the title, Why Men
Love Bitches, and say, “Men don’t love bitches!” What happened
was the exact opposite. They absolutely confirmed—over and over
—that a strong woman is very much a turn-on. Sometimes they
described why they love bitches. Other times they asked, “ Yeah,
why do we love bitches?” But over 90 percent of the time, they
didn’t deny the fact that they’re turned on by strong women.
Putting yourself first is not something men resent. On the
contrary, a man actually respects it. He feels as though there is far
less weight on his shoulders when you are independent, and he
doesn’t have to make you happy all the time. He’ll regard you as a
secure woman, instead of as a ditsy or flighty woman who doesn’t
know what she wants.
Putting yourself first means going back and relearning how to
count. In math, the number one comes before the number two (1 . .
. 2 . . . again . . . 1 . . . 2 . . .). You are number one and— are you
sitting down?— he is number two! Until now, you’ve made the
mistake of starting to count at “number two.” Number one wasn’t
even counted. You skipped over numero uno because you didn’t
seem to feel you mattered.
Life is an extension of grade school. A third grader approaches
another kid and bullies him. He slaps the kid, steals his lunch
money, and runs. The child who won’t be bullied is the child who
slaps the bully and takes his lunch money back. (With an extra little
slap, just for thinking he could have gotten away with it.)
The new and improved bitch understands this principle in adult
day-to-day life. People will do the same thing on a daily basis.
They’ll try to slap you and run, whether it’s a coworker, a family
member, a friend, or yes . . . even a lover. The only difference is
none of these people will try to steal your lunch money. Instead,
consciously or not, they’ll steal your self-confidence.
When it comes to believing in yourself, put your eye on the mark
and don’t blink. If you have a goal, a dream, or an aspiration . . .
believe in yourself while you are on the way to your destination,
and you will have already arrived.
Throughout life, people will try to shake your faith in yourself.
When this happens, remind yourself that the only way they can
succeed is if you allow it. When you walk down the street of life,
always hold your head high and keep walking. Don’t ever let
anyone shake your faith in yourself, because that’s really all that
you have.

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WHY MEN LOVE Bitches