Rainbows, Unicorns and Light Sabres.

So a friend was sitting down with some girls at dinner the other day, and one of them asks, 'So, what's a good pickup line for a guy?'

That immediately put my friend deep into thought, and after much consideration he said,

'Tell him you love Star Wars.'

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We were having a discussion yesterday, this friend and I, when the topic came onto girls we used to like. We chanced upon an attribute that these girls used to share - guyishness.

Now don't get me wrong. I am a man who loves it when girls celebrate their femininity - the touches of make-up, agonising over their clothes, accessorising, melting over animals or pretty things.

What exactly is guyishness?

When I look back at my previous relationships and women I have been infatuated with, one theme seems to come out - they thought like boys. They wouldn't agonise if they didn't hear from you for a day, they weren't afraid to get themselves dirty and sweaty chasing the soccer ball around the field or rock-climbing, they weren't afraid to laugh out loud at irreverent jokes. A girl who insults me back in good humour when I throw one jokingly at her has won my heart.


Hell Hath No Fury 

It breaks my heart sometimes when I hear stories from my girl friends about how life was like back in their schools, especially if it was an all-girls' school. In a boys' school, when guys disagree, they tend to confront, whether in shouting matches or coming to blows, and then it is over. In a girls' school, vengeance and jealousy is a slow burning process, spanning days to years, filled with scheming, passive-aggressive bullying, mind games and alliances designed to alienate, embarrass and destroy.

I see some wonderful women who carry these scars into adulthood and it makes me want to go back into their past and throw their tormentors into shark-infested waters.

I don't understand what it is that makes this mean-spiritedness and cattiness acceptable behaviour. When Taylor Swift deals with this issue in her song 'Mean', my strongest impression is that she probably wasn't singing about boys.

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Why can't a woman be more like a man?
Men are so decent, such regular chaps;
Ready to help you through any mishaps;
Ready to buck you up whenever you're glum.
Why can't a woman be a chum?
                                                       -Professor Henry Higgins, My Fair Lady (1964)

This rant from the old musical My Fair Lady suggests that this observation, although misdirected with sexist overtones, is not a new one. Perhaps the cry does come from somewhere deeper.

So what makes them so attractive? Perhaps it is the observation that women who think like guys are easier to get along with and are quick to forgive. In a selfish way, they will probably share a few similar interests as well, which means a better chance of time spent together. Ask any guy whether they would like a girlfriend who is a gamer and see how many of them will tell you no.

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At the risk of losing her as just another 'one of the guys', we have to remember that at the core of every woman is tenderness. She still wants to be won over, loved and treated right, but she doesn't need you to be her knight in shining armour cantering in valiantly to save her from All of Life's Problems.

Because she's got this, thank you very much. And it may be you that needs the saving.

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I read somewhere once that women feel more in love with their partners when they see them help out with the housework or with the kids. (From the annals of the scientifically-researched and clinically-tested Woman's Day magazine) I must admit I felt a similar surge of love the other day when Karen single-handedly assembled some furniture for the home (while I worked hard on the Playstation 3...

...no, of course not! What kind of a husband do you take me for?!)

(I was actually sleeping.)

I wonder if there are more men like me out there in this day and age who feel the same way about wanting women who are not girly girls. Perhaps in a deeper subconscious level, it may be a matter of natural selection.

I know the issue of sexuality and gender roles is such a gray one, but take it from me how you will. I am, after all, not exactly the manliest man - cars fail to excite me, I love my computer games, sports are to be watched and talked about, but not played in real life. I sing love songs, cry at movies and write blogs. How I ever got married is beyond me.

Which brings us to the next question. What kind of guys do girls fall for?