Wednesday, July 16, 2008

5 types of women that turn men off

I like reading articles on relationships, because I always find a perspective that I wasn't expecting. This usually causes me to do some thinking, and to figure out how I can use this information to better myself.

As a former member of eHarmony, I am still on their email list and get some interesting tidbits every now and then. Today's email caught my eye with the title of the article, "5 Women Men Avoid".

The article goes on to explain that it's not about weight, age, or looks - it's about these personality deal-breakers that send men running.

Now, I'm self-reflecting to see if any of those women can be found in me:

1. The Flirty-Bird

She starts as fun to hang out with, as she makes conversation easy, light and charming and shows interest right away. Guys are normally drawn to this, as they don't really need to do a lot of the work. But then she doesn't stop flirting - and she flirts with everyone. At first it's fun, as guys are trying to discover how just to get her attention, but then interest goes away when they realize they will never have it.

2. The Commitment-phile

She spoils a wonderful first few dates by talking about marriage and her future plans for your life together with her. Which in turn scares men off, never to be heard from again.

3. The Cling-on

She can't go anywhere or do anything without the company of her man. His life becomes her life by adopting his interests, tastes in music, and normally calls a zillion times a day. She is more work than a relationship deserves as she is very needy. She relies on him to entertain her, and is at his beck and call, because she has no life of her own.

4. The Party Girl

I think this quote from the article sums it up, "While a guaranteed good time may seem like a good idea, what will she be like in the sobering light of day?"

5. The Windbag

She never shuts up, always constantly talking about herself and her experiences. She also has drama-queen tendencies, and never really has a conversation, just a monologue.


So... with my self-reflection, how do I rack up?

I've been told that I am a natural flirt, but I don't think I take it to excess like the article was mentioning... I use discretion, and once I capture the attention of a man, I stop flirting with everyone else. As for the commitment-phile, I have talked about marriage on the first few dates - but not in that context. A few of my dates asked about my 10 year plan, which for me involves marriage along the way, but I wasn't planning "our" wedding on the date.

I am physically clingy, but not emotionally clingy. I have my own life with my own interests, but I do like to be physically close to a man, either cuddling or holding hands, or just being in physical contact. But I'm also perfectly fine to find my own space when we are in public, and not have to be constantly on top of the man, hanging off of him. I'm not a party-girl... that's just not my style.

I can be a talker, but I've learned to control that unless I'm processing something. Being an extrovert, I process information out loud. But also being a perceiving type in my MBTI, I can see endless possibilities in every solution, so I'm constantly thinking... sometimes out loud. However, my ex was not a talker, nor really a conversationalist. I asked questions about his life, but since he didn't always return the questions, I stopped sharing. So I have the ability to shut my mouth off, and process elsewhere. But when I'm around people, I think I have a tendency to focus more on what they want to talk about, then what I want to talk about.

I wonder if my self-reflection is correct, or if it is misguided?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I think that this can go for guys that turn girls off as well, don't you think? The one that scares me the most is the cling on. I start to feel smothered and need to catch my breath. I want someone I can share my life with I don't want to become the center of someones life and vice versa. I think the thing people often forget is: just because you become part of a couple does not mean you are no longer yourself. When you start to loose yourself you know something is going south in the relationship. Its noticing and addressing this before it gets out of hand that is most important, in my oppion.