Curtis, over at Singing Loudly, was talking about this article at Askmen.com.

Oh, I have so manythings to say about this article that I don’t even know where to begin.

He begins the article by talking about that question every woman has asked…”Does —– make me look fat?”

No matter what you say, it will be the wrong answer. She already knows she looks fat or she wouldn’t be asking you the question in the first place. But if you fib and tell her she looks skinny, she knows it’s not the truth — and she’ll punish you not only for lying to her, but also for noticing that she’s been packing on the pounds.

BZZZZZZZ. Wrong answer. Yes, it might be an unfair question. But here’s the REAL truth. Sometimes we’re insecure. We just want to know that you think we’re beautiful. If your wife/girlfriend asks you this question, take her in your arms, look her in the eyes and say “I think you look beautiful.”

And mean it.

I’ve been the victim of mind games more often than I’ve been the player. It’s not fun. But do you see me writing articles all about the mind games men play? Nope.

Mr. Fitzgerald takes women to task for “wearing sexy clothes” and then getting pissed off when they notice.

Let me start by saying that I hardly wear provocative clothing. You won’t see me in any midriff-baring tops and micro minis. I occasionally wear a top that shows a bit of cleavage, and I admit, I enjoy attracting a bit of attention. But let me be clear about this…the fact that I like the attention does NOT necessarily mean that I want to go home with you.

Next, he goes on to talk about not calling, and playing “hard to get.”

No phone call
She’ll give out her number with no intention of dating you. Or she’ll take your number and never call you.
What’s her mind game?: This is another bid for power. She just wants to reassure herself that she can control men with her sexuality.

Ladies, please raise your hand if you’ve ever given a guy your number and then never heard from him again. Or worse, if you’ve actually gone on a date or two and then POOF! It’s the magical disappearing act.

Now, here’s my REAL favorite part:

Expensive dates
She wants to go to the most expensive restaurant, the most exclusive club, the hottest play — and expects you to fund the whole thing without a whimper.
What’s her mind game?: She’s aware that you know that if you don’t fork over the cash, you won’t have a prayer of getting her into bed. To make matters worse, she might even do this if she has unequivocally no intention of having sex with you. Woe to you if you’ve already proven to her that you’re desperate for sex — your credit card is going to be smoking.

For the record, I have never, ever, EVER done this. Ever. We’re not all money-grubbing manipulative golddiggers. We don’t all use sex as a weapon. I don’t care about this stuff. Yeah, an occasional dinner at a fancy restaurant, or play, or whatever might be nice. I could care less about exclusive clubs, and probably would never date someone who did.

No sex
She gets you hot and bothered and then backs off, or otherwise restricts access to sex.
What’s her mind game?: This is a perfect example of manipulation and exultation of her sexual power over you, plain and simple. She might also play this game to extract more cash from your wallet (see previous point).

I’m not even sure where to go with this one. Fitzgerald puts this in the “dating” category, so I’m not sure at what point of “dating” we’re talking about. You’re actually saying that if a woman backs off from sex, at any point after getting you “hot and bothered,” it’s about playing a mind game? She couldn’t have, oh, I dunno, changed her mind?

He ends on this note:

Unfortunately, these mind games are a reality. If women would learn to respect men and honestly communicate instead of expecting us to guess what they’re thinking or manipulate us, this would be a much better dating world. But it’s up to us men to turn the situation around.

Or maybe you need to try dating different women? We’re not all like the image you’ve portrayed, Mr. Fitzgerald. Try walking away from those shallow, manipulative barbie dolls you meet at the clubs and you might find a completely different world.