Wow. What a title.

I suppose before I even attempt to approach this topic I should begin with some sort of disclaimer. First and foremost, I am not an expert. I am merely a curious reader who happened upon this information and decided it was provocative enough to discuss. My source is a book entitled Body Language by Julius Fast. The entire book serves as a useful, user-friendly tool to navigate and survey the new field of "kinesics," the science of non-verbal communication. While the entire book is full of remarkable facts and research-based conclusions, there was one chapter in particular that caught my attention: "The Silent Language of Love." This is the chapter I will be analyzing and sharing with you. Is picking up women more of a science than an art-form? I'm sure most would agree that "art-form" would be the only way to describe it. But I'm starting to think it may be a combination of the two.

The chapter in question is structured in such a way as to walk you through a typical night on the town for "Mike," the author's chosen "ladies' man." I will attempt to use much of the same technique, as well as leave a little room for debate so as to try and convince myself one way or another if I'd like to actually TRY any of these techniques in the near future. Because I'm sure by the end of this article everyone's next question will be: Well fine, but how practical is all of this? Does it work? I hope to use these techniques and find out.

Meat and Potatoes

That’s it. No more formalities. Let's get right down to it.

So you're dressed for the night. You're feeling loose. Confident. You enter the scene of the party. The game is afoot. What the hell are you supposed to do now?

Your first goal is to locate the "available" girls. To do this successfully, you need to do two things. You need to be putting out signals of your own, and you need to be observing the women around you to see how they are reacting to them.

Signals

So what signals do you need to put out? The book calls for an "unconscious command of body language," in order to radiate an aura of "I'm available, I'm masculine. I'm aggressive and knowledgeable." A confident "macho swagger" should be used to stir up attention along with a hint of arrogance to put out that air of aggressiveness. The book suggests acts such as leaning against the wall with your legs slightly apart and your pelvis tilted forward. You need to project an image that "spells sex." Our ladies' man, "Mike," apparently locks his thumbs in his belt and points his fingers in the direction of his genitals to further highlight his message. Holding eye-contact a little longer than you should is also a good technique.

Hmm. Now I don't know about you, but so far these "tips" seem like blatant, sleazy and sexually immature acts that women would undoubtedly see right through. I'm sure most guys would agree with me when I say that most women can smell a come-on like shit on a shoe. So I'm still a little skeptical. But let's see where this goes.

Observations

So the signal has been sent out. You've done your job. Now it's time to look around and see who you've affected. The author points out that this can be difficult to an inexperienced observer simply because society prevents most women from being open about their availability. Appearing "easy" devalues their character. Unconsciously, however, a woman MUST make her intentions known. But how? The author suggests looking to the big three: stance, posture and movement.

If she appears coy by nonchalantly brushing a hand against her chest, if she's sitting with her legs apart, if she's stroking her thighs as she talks, or even if she rolls her hips as she walks. The pitches of their voice may change to entice a potential mate. She may stroke her hair, check her make-up after a glance at you, push her hair from her face, rearrange her clothes or tilt her head to one side. Anything that might put out the signal: "Notice me. I'm attractive."

Interesting. Now ladies, I'm not saying you're doing these things on purpose. Sometimes you are, sometimes you aren't. I'm just quoting the hard facts from scientific studies done on the subject. Remember, I'm not an expert.

The most important thing to keep in mind during your reconnaissance mission: All of her reactions must be compiled on an aggregate basis so you get a comprehensive picture. Don't just assume because she licked her lips she's interested. Pay attention to everything she's throwing your way to make sure you're not misinterpreting something she does.

Female Targeted

Hopefully, by this stage in the game you have a potential female targeted. She's responded to you in some positive way and is trying to get your attention. Good. Time to move to step two.

The first thing you must do is begin to focus all of your attention on her. She nipped at the bait, and if you play your cards right, you could have yourself a winner. The first card you must play is "physical invasion without touch." You must move into her "body zone," making her uneasy but not moving so close that she can "logically object." This will knock her out of her normal routine and she will be unprepared to respond. The scales are being tipped in your favor.

Now, because she is a little uneasy, she may try and close herself off. You have invaded her territory and she must defend herself. She may do this by crossing her arms or allowing tension to enter her face. To counteract this unfortunate chain of events, you must make a conscious effort to stop these movements with opposing positions of your own. If she crosses her arms, uncross yours and look relaxed. If her face is tense, try to smile wider and make her feel comfortable. You're simply trying to "intrude into her awareness." Apparently, by responding to your initial signals, this woman, deep down, really wants to open up. You just have to give her that option.

Wow. So far, this almost seems like a nonverbal "cornering technique" used on a sales call. But let us continue.

Visual Intrusion

Now that she's becoming physically aware of you and becoming more comfortable with your presence, you can move onto the next step, which is "visual intrusion." The author explicitly states that what you say "really doesn't matter much." So I guess that means that if you've reached this stage, all you have to do is follow through and hold that finish. You're in like flint, and you're the man.

But back to "visual intrusion." Look longingly into her eyes, sensuously at her throat, her breasts and her body. "Linger with promise." Touch your tongue to your lips and narrow your eyes. The woman should become a little uneasy and excited. And that's good. The whole point of this "technique" (if you want to call it that) is to knock her off balance. Catch her with her pants down. Yeah, I suppose that's what I wanted to say.

And that's it. That's really the whole system. The author claims that "Mike" didn't even have to ask the girl at this point if she wanted to go back to his place. She was already dragging him out the door.

Disclaimer

But before the chapter ends, the author has what I can only describe as an instructional disclaimer. By the rules and standards of the day, for a "smooth pickup" to occur, a strict set of rituals must be followed so as to allow either individual to break off from the game at any time without losing face. But by following these rituals, you will be unable to knock your target off balance, thereby forfeiting the victory. To be sexually aggressive, you cannot be hindered by your need to save face. You just need to go for it. Taking a lead role in the relationship from the get go will statistically yield more successes than failures because of the strong correlation between insecurity and fear of rejection. If you're more confident than she is and she has responded positively to your advances, it is all but a certainty that she will say yes to anything you ask.

After reading this chapter, I can only come up with one question: does this system really work? Is this all bullshit? Well, I suppose a dry run wouldn't hurt. I guess I'll try to use these tips and tricks and report back. Let's say in a week. Regardless of the outcome, I'm sure it will be an interesting experience.