Think you’re the only guy who locks up in the presence of a cute chick? The problem seems to be as much cultural as it is personal. Here’s some anecdotal evidence about how far ahead of the game you are if you can just manage to open your mouth and say something even remotely pleasing or enticing when you see a woman in a situation that could be defined as a “meeting opportunity”.

I was reading an article in one of those women’s magazines like Cosmo or something similar (don’t worry, I always keep these psycho-babble rags hidden inside my copy of Hustler)... Anyway, it was all about how these really hot looking babes were having so much trouble getting a rise out of American men.  This story was written by some super hot model-type chick, and all she did was lament about the fact that anytime she sees some cute guy and tries to lay the heavy flirt on him non-verbally (with long, pouty looks from across the room, that sort of thing) he gives her the aloof treatment and doesn’t respond.  Are all these guys scared of good looking girls or what?

She goes on to contrast the European male with his American counterpart.  Miss Model and her foxy friend are sitting in some outdoor café in the Greek Isles somewhere (don’t you just love the tough life these chicks lead?) Sampling the local drinks.  Seems that it’s Miss Foxy Friend’s birthday, so Miss Model tells her to pick out any one of the handsome men scattered about the patio that she would like to fuck that afternoon as a kind of “present”.  Foxy chooses one, and all Miss Model has to do is meet eyes with the guy and hold his gaze for a few seconds.  The Euro dude gets the message right away, walks straight over to introduce himself, and the seduction is off and running!  Foxy is blown away at how easy it is for Miss Model to lure a man over, but Miss Model tells her later that “... this technique works everywhere I go all throughout the world, except in America”. An American man will typically look away and act cool and aloof, pretending that he doesn’t see my signal of interest in him.  How sad.” 

oor Miss Model is discouraged by the way in which men everywhere seem willing to play the game of seduction except here in the good ol’ USA.

Moral of the Story: The typical “Euro dude” understands what his role in the seduction game is, and has been culturally indoctrinated on how to respond to flirtatious women properly.  He’s a natural.  You and I are clueless lunkheads.  I know, I know... you just want to smack the snooty, jet-setting Miss Model upside her head.  Nevertheless, her gripe is valid.  Few men seem to realize what the deal is when it comes to flirting with women.  Our training in this field really sucks because it’s pretty much no training at all.  Either that or a culturally-induced aversion to the whole topic exists because it doesn’t fit in with our macho, Clint Eastwood-style of behaving around women.

Apparently European men don’t labour under this stupid and confining self-image. They understand that when a woman summons them with a signal of curious interest they respond appropriately by promptly introducing themselves.  The point is that women always initiate a seduction with some kind of non-verbal signal. This is the female Mating Call. Non-verbal is the key here, they will not by social convention usually be the first ones to utter a word.  The “rules” of the game then state that it is the man’s next move to acknowledge this signal and initiate some kind of verbal greeting.  It’s our job to say something first.  This is the moment where most of us rejection-adverse dimwits fall down and go boom. Make no mistake about it though, women are the ones who choose the male, AND set the mating dance into motion.