Modern Flirting

October 17th, 2003

Good lord, "Modern Flirting: Girls Find Old Ways Did Have Their Charms" by Laura Sessions Stepp [via Accordion Guy] is too good for words. The premise: modern flirting and sexual mores are ruining it for girls in the long run. Yeah, what Crittenden said, except in 5 pages.

In the spirit of gender equality, many a young woman has discarded the slow, subtle arts of flirtation and charm that females have used successfully on males for millennia, and replaced them with quick, direct strikes: punching her number into his cell phone memory, rubbing his shoulders, grinding with him on the dance floor, hooking up in the spare bedroom at a party.

The result has not been an especially happy one, some young women say, for though they may snag the guy in question, it's only until he gets a better offer. As the one being pursued, a woman used to be able to set the course and pace of a relationship. As the pursuer, she relinquishes control, not to mention the fun of being chased.

The article gets even better after that. Highly recommended.