Let’s end this whole “nice guys” myth once and for all…
The term “nice guy” has been thrown around in popular culture a lot lately. A quote unquote “nice guy” is actually a first class manipulator.
(I was going to link to an Urban Dictionary definition of a nice guy here, but I found out that they have over TEN pages of definitions submitted by active/recovering nice guys and it was all a bit too depressing.)
Women don’t have an aversion to truly nice guys… they have an aversion to passive, manipulative liars (just like – surprise, surprise – all humans do!).
People respond positively to others that have a strong sense of identity, solid morals, and strong personal boundaries (all things in which “nice guys” are lacking).
The fact that terms like “nice guy” and “friendzone” are still being thrown around at all these days speaks to an underlying culture of female-biased sexism, but that’s a topic for another article.
Nice Guys, Jerks, And Strong-Minded Men
One of the nice guys’ favourite fall back arguments is that “Women say that they want a nice guy, but what they actually want is a jerk.”
Oh, my friend, if only it were that simple. Kidding! It’s even simpler than that.
Women don’t like being lied to. They’re also generally a lot more socially intelligent than men. Even if you think you’re being extra sneaky, your intentions have been noted by females before you’ve even fully formed your first thought.
Nice guys = passive, manipulative liars who attempt to trade niceness for intimate relationships/sex. Most men are hopelessly transparent with their intentions with women, but nice guys really take it to the next level.
Jerks = assertive/aggressive suitors that share more character traits with a strong-minded option than nice guys.
Strong-Minded Man = an assertive, strong-willed person who is unapologetically forthcoming with his desire. He is ready and willing to take no for an answer without resorting to manipulation or douche-baggery.
So reading through the three descriptions, doesn’t it become clear that the nice guy option is a dead last?
If you are a man reading this article, imagine all of those descriptions again but instead describing women. #1, a girl that you are not attracted to in the slightest who keeps trying to convince you to like her by being extra-super-duper nice. #2, a girl that isn’t necessarily your ideal woman, and is a little rough around the edges, but you feel magnetically sexually attracted to her for some reason (though you probably wouldn’t bring her home to meet your parents). #3, a woman with clear morals and boundaries, a voracious sexual appetite and has no problem initiating sex with you but will turn it down when she isn’t feeling it, and doesn’t push you to do things that you’re not comfortable with.
Unless you’ve got some intimacy issues, narcissism, or low self-esteem a-brewin’ within the chaos of your mind, you would most likely be attracted to #3, followed by #2, and then by #1 in a distant last place. And guess what? That’s what women respond to too. Hooray, we’re all humans and there’s no distinguishable differences in our attraction process when it comes to not enjoying being lied to!
Bottom line, you are either attractive to someone or you are not. If you find yourself having a really tough time getting into a relationship, then it’s probably something you should get looked at. Whether it’s an unconscious pattern of driving people away, fearing vulnerability, or just not having your life sorted out, there are many steps you can take to become more attractive as a partner to your gender of choice.
Onto the good stuff…
If your inner child (nice guy) still rears its ugly head on occasion (everyone’s does in certain situations), here are five things you can do to make sure that you’re not being a manipulator in your intimate relationships.
1. Sexual Manipulation
According to society, if a woman wants to have sex with someone, she can be labelled a slut. If she doesn’t want to have sex with someone, she can be called a prude or a bitch (often by “nice guys”). In either situation, cultural conditioning is attempting to control women’s sexuality.
Blaming her for not wanting to sleep with you (at any stage of the relationship) is manipulative. If she doesn’t like you and you aren’t a couple, have some self-respect and move on.
2. Holding Back From Expressing Your Desires
Doing nice things for her and then getting frustrated when you don’t get what you felt entitled to (affection, intimacy, sex, etc.) is calculated and deceiving. Don’t.
If you want something, have the courage to ask for it. Otherwise, you might not be mature enough to deserve it yet.
3. Being Unable To Hear No
One side of mature boundary setting is being able to express your desires and have opinions about things. The other side is being able to hear no from others. Being whiny when she says no to you (for affection, intimacy, sex, etc.) is a child-like behaviour.
If you hear no, it means no. Just like jealousy has the opposite effect in a relationship than the partner intends it to have, the same process occurs with trying to convince someone away from their preferences.
4. Pre-Loading
Have you ever done things for her to use as ammunition later on?
In other words, you knew you wanted sex on a certain night and so you did a ton of nice things for her all week to (in your mind) guarantee sex on the night that you wanted it to happen.
While there’s nothing wrong with doing romantic things for your partner, if your intention is a manipulative one, she will pick up on it. I don’t say this hyperbolically- your intentions will clearly show themselves in your actions. The expectant energy in your eye contact… the overly eager angle of your stance as you stand next to her… I could go on. Trust me, she’ll feel it. So don’t do it.
5. Being Avoidant Of Confrontation
Manipulative people avoid telling others when they disagree with them. They do this to keep things as kosher as possible on a surface level. They go to great lengths to avoid rocking the boat.
If there’s nothing that they’ve ever seemingly done wrong, they can never be ‘called’ on anything. They always need to be in the right.
If you disagree with your partner, let her know. Women are not attracted to a man who lets his values or personal needs slide in order to take care of her. Occasionally, sure. But as a way of being? Yuck. How can she trust you if you don’t respect yourself and your own needs?
The Process Of Becoming Comfortable With Mature Masculinity
Although I do agree with a certain amount of paternalism in relationships, nice guys are not the best judges of other people’s needs (because they don’t fully understand or acknowledge their own).
Dedicated to your success,
Jordan
