Gina Bever
Men do a lot of cute things, and they don’t even know it.
I asked a bunch of my girlfriends for examples of “Cute Things Men Do Without Realizing They’re Being Cute,” and here are some of my favorites:
* Singing and dancing (both badly) to your favorite songs. It’s funny and cute, and you can score some bonus points if you can make the song about us. Please note there is one caveat: Singing and dancing in public spaces pretty much creeps out the ladies. Consider yourself forewarned for the next time you start thinking about a public karaoke performance of “Benny and the Jets.”
* Being nice to your mom and small children. Why do we even have to discuss this? You should always be super-nice to your Mom and small children. The end.
* Flipping your baseball cap around when it’s time to get serious about something. I, personally, am not too sure about this one, but maybe it’s a Southern thing. And it was suggested by one very Southern belle, so I’m going with it. Just don’t wear a ball cap in the house. That’s all I’m saying.
* Doing and fixing things without being told to. This is not just cute, but it’s also the best way not to get nagged. Ever. Trust me, women hate to nag men more than men hate to be nagged. So just do it. And don’t make us tell you to do it. Again.
* Being enthusiastic about something interesting. No, I am not talking about comic books, Star Trek, NASCAR or even football. Sorry. I’m talking about something mildly intellectual (smarts are hot), like World War II or Civil War history. Just don’t take it too far and start dressing up and refighting the Battle of Chickamauga.
* Not bragging and/or talking nonstop about something cool you did or somewhere you went. It’s the combination of modesty plus interesting experience that makes this one cute. I recently had to interrogate a friend of mine to learn he once spent several months in Antarctica, and he’d never even mentioned it. And surely we’d even talked about penguins at some point.
It’s important to remember that for most of these behaviors to accrue points to your Cuteness Quotient they must be done sincerely and with modesty. You can try to fake it, but ladies can spot disingenuousness and arrogance in a nanosecond.
Now, gentlemen, I shared this information with you, so you’d know that we ladies really do think you’re cute and fantastic. So don’t go getting all big-headed about it. Mmmkay?
And please take that ball cap off in the house.