What Women Want

Obviously, all women want George Clooney or Brad Pitt (or both…). Besides that, though, what are the top qualities that women are looking for in men? According to the staff at eHarmony (I’ve now come to accept the fact that I will receive 1 to 2 unsolicited emails from them every week for the rest of my life and that’s the card I’ve been dealt...), women’s top 5 dealmakers are:

* An honest man – Honesty is one of their top rated qualities. Who knew??? I didn’t include honesty in my laundry list of qualifications until recently, and I therefore went on to date a bunch of dishonest people. I think I took it for granted that all people are honest (life is hard when you’re that naïve) and I expected suitors to act accordingly. Wrong. I added honesty to my exhaustive list a few months ago and, let me tell you, it’s nice to date someone like that. Ladies, add it to your list. I’ve also discovered that dating someone genuine and sincere is also satisfying (thank you, Lover) – so please add these qualities as well – they’re all sexy.

* An emotionally healthy man – Whoa. That is hard to find. Most people have a few little issues that may creep up now and again, which is acceptable (I really hope so, or else I’m f*cked…). Things to watch for? The man who claims that he is emotionally healthy and free of hang-ups, like Emotional F*ckwit ’08 - he was SO hungup about the fact that he had no hangups – it was ridiculous. Neuroses? No. Neurons firing on all cylinders to help oneself work through issues? No problem.

* A man who can resolve conflicts – Yes, especially if he is dating me. Apparently, men are taught to win fights from an early age. That makes my brow wrinkle in confusion (which I really don’t like because I’m constantly trying to offset all visible signs of aging), because I have always thought that women had to be right. Since when did we start letting men win the fights? There are 2 lessons to be learned here. The first lesson is to stop letting men win all the time – that’s not right! The second lesson is that it is good to find a man who can work to resolve an issue instead of being spiteful and pushy just so he can win a fight.

* An attractive man – Women want an attractive man just as much as men want attractive women. I guess it really is that important. Of course, a good personality can enhance one’s outer appearance (and vice versa), but that’s no excuse to show up on dates looking rumpled and ridiculous. Dudes, you have no idea how a nicely pressed shirt, properly tailored pants or nicely shined shoes can put us in the mood.