Introducing Mary Beth

Dear readers, please allow me to introduce you to Mary Beth Sales, a young lass with a unique understanding of the intricacies of modern romance. We here at How to Meet Broads Inc. were introduced to her via the magic of the internet, and she was nice enough to agree to an interview. Without a doubt, there is much insight to be gained from her female perspective. Here goes...

Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do for a living?

I'm Mary Beth. A true Midwesterner, I am a St. Louis girl at heart, so I love the Cardinals and hate the Cubs. Now I live in the crazy -- yet fabulous -- City of Angels. I'm a law school drop-out -- finally doing something in my life for myself. Since I love fashion, I'm a wardrobe stylist. And an on-camera host. A hustler. In other words, I get paid to shop and put clothes on people, and I get some extra cash by interviewing people on the red carpet. On the weekends (or, Mondays through Thursdays for LA locals, I should say), I play wingwoman for my guy friends.

What are the responsibilities of a good wingwoman?

In a nut shell, a good wingwoman will be her guy friend's teammate on a playing field, whether at a party, bar, club, sports event, wedding, etc. Teammates always work together. When the ball (aka the prospective female for the guy friend) enters the playing field, a good wingwoman will gradually build rapport with the prospective female. The wingwoman will make the prospective female smile, maybe compliment her, and ask what her plans are for the night, or for the weekend. Finally, a good wingwoman will pass the ball to her guy friend and bring the prospective female into communication with the him. It's up to him to score.

Where do you feel most men fail when attempting to talk to women?

Beginning with a really bad pick-up line. Or any pick-up line in general. Sometimes a simple, "Hi, my name is ______ " with a genuine smile just might work.

And don't ask whether I want you to buy me a drink. Just ask me what I'm drinking and duplicate it. If I take it, then lucky you. If I don't, gracefully take it for yourself to drink. Also, drinks should always be ordered and served in front of me. Or else I won't drink it at all. Can't trust a perfect stranger :)

What do you find attractive in a male?

A million dollar smile, confidence, swagger, ambition and a hustler mentality.

How do you define confidence, and how do you recognize that an individual has it?
I can't exactly define confidence, but I definitely know it when I see it.

A confident guy won't compete with me. He won't be so eager to list his entire academic CV after I tell him that I graduated college cum laude in three years and was accepted to an accelerated 2-year law program. He is proud and stands securely next to anyone. A confident guy has no problem making conversation with anyone. He is diplomatic. A truly confident man is humble. And wise.

When it comes to evaluating prospective mates, how important are the following to you: How much money a guy makes. What kind of car he drives. What he does for a living. His age. His height and weight.
Money is important. I don't want to have to worry about someone else's financial well-being -- I already have to worry about mine. What he does for a living is crucial. My prospective mate must be both happy and successful -- if you're making great money with your job, but don't really like it -- huge turn off.

Car -- not anymore. I've always wanted a man who will love me more than his car. Although, a nice car is a bonus. Just make sure it's equivalent to your standard of living -- don't drive a 996 Twin Turbo and live in an apartment that costs $1,300 a month. Like my ex did.

Age -- I once dated a guy 12 years older than myself. I'll never do it again. Well, at least in my mind, "older guys" think they know it all. Actually, age is a state of mind. I swore to myself I would never date someone under 28 (I'm 25) -- but I know 24-year-old guys who act maturely and have business minds like a 38-year-old. And a bomb smile? Total turn on.

Height -- has to be taller than I am when I'm wearing my highest heels. In other words -- at least 5'9". I love it when I look up and a guy kisses me on my forehead. And take care of your body. But eat well too. It shows that you're driven and have respect for yourself.

Do you find there to be a difference between dating in the Midwest and dating in Los Angeles?

I've thrown boys away like purple Jolly Ranchers here in LA. (I hate artificial grape flavors). I feel like there are so many guys to choose from, it doesn't phase me as much when I drop/lose them. I've talked to a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, a software guru who's been featured in Forbes, the perfect-GPA-NCAA-athlete-of-the-year guy... I can always find something wrong with them. Here in LA, you'd be a fool to think that you're the "only one" whom someone is dating -- that goes for both guys and girls.

In the Midwest, guys hold doors, they never fail to politely introduce you to others, smile... I couldn't treat them like grape candy.

If you could give one piece of advice to guys who have difficulty meeting women, what would it be?

Smile. And be yourself. We can see right through you.

[Ed. note: Read more about the misadventures of Mary Beth Sales at her blog, www.marusedtoloveher.com.]

The Dog Brothers

Without a doubt, one of the greatest MTV moments of all time. In many ways, though, the Dog Brothers were ahead of their time. How is it they they never had their own show?

Dating Season

As those of you who follow the Gregorian calendar may have heard, today was the first day of autumn. Within a few weeks, the weather will get a little chillier, the leaves will start to change colors and, next thing you know, you'll be opening up a box on Christmas morning, holding up a garish green sweater while masking your disappointment and saying something like, "Wow, this really looks cozy!"

Here's an interesting fact, though: Did you know that 77% of all long-term relationships begin during the spring and summer months?

You see, as with deer or elk hunting, dating has a "season," one with a definitive starting date and a definitive ending date. From the morning of February 15th through the wee drunken hours of Halloween night, it's dating season. That's not to say that it's impossible to meet and/or date someone during the offseason. It's simply made much more difficult by the cold weather, which causes many women to avoid leaving their homes entirely, and the gauntlet of awkward winter holidays, which seem designed to test the limits of even the strongest relationships.

For instance, let's say you meet a nice girl on November 4th. Good for you. But what happens on Thanksgiving? Do you spend it with one another? Does she invite you to her family's place? Or do you invite her to yours? It's a terrifying proposition.

What if you begin dating a girl in early February? What do you get her for Valentine's Day? Do you splurge on an expensive dinner? Do you buy her a gift? How do you decide what to get that would be nice and thoughtful, but not too nice and definitely not more thoughtful that whatever she'd get you?

And let's not forget about Christmas and New Year's Eve.

Instinctively, most people in this day and age recognize the sheer amount of mental calorie-burning that is usually necessary when beginning a relationship during the offseason and, thus, avoid the possibility entirely. So, for those of you who are genuinely looking to date a broad and haven't capitalized on the spring and summer months, get to work. In a little over a month, things are gonna get much more difficult.

Stay tuned… Tomorrow, we'll have an insightful interview with a real-live girl.