Oh, hey, Lemondrop readers. I'm writing to you from the Mariana Trench–level depths of a reasonably significant hangover. The reason I tell you this is because I think I have some helpful information for those of you out there who also like to take a drink now again: The best way to combat a particularly rough day after is to Think Positively.So, today's column is all about positives. Lady positives! I was reminded yesterday, while out with friends, drinking said drinks, of the many small marvels of the human female. There was a girl a table over, with a black and white dress and Christina Hendricks proportions ... and we were all just collectively floored by her. Even my gay friend whispered, "That woman's body! It just won't quit."
And it wouldn't. It would not quit.
I should have said a word or six to her, but I was too timid and then she was gone, her curves filing themselves away in my brain parts.
Anyway, it got me thinking about the other, less obvious stuff that men love about women (that is, besides the way they look in tight black-and-white dresses). Because there are tons, and whenever guys are writing about women (I'm just as guilty as the rest, on occasion), it's usually telling them what they're doing wrong. Even my female editor seemed suspicious. (She was all "OK, crazy, why don't you make a list, and then I'll tell you what a repulsive pervert you are," because she's a reincarnated Viking who grows powerful from my tears.) But I was determined.
So, without further ado, here are 10 Things That Only Women Can Do That I (and Most Guys in Their Right Minds) Love.
The Casual Touch
Oh, God, I love this so much. When, out of the blue, a girl will place a hand on your arm while she's laughing, or pick something out of your hair, or fix your collar. There's something so divine about an unexpected, casual, sweet touch like this. It's so beautiful and tiny and makes us feel all warm and happy. Of course, if it happens below the waist I fire six-shooters into the air and madly dance in place like Yosemite Sam.
The "Real Drink" Order
When a gal orders a scotch or a bourbon, I'm pretty much on Orbitz looking for our elopement flights. I've caught some flak for mentioning that a vodka tonic is a shameful drink, and I might back away from it now as I've had a few this summer and there is something nice and uncomplicated about them, but as girl drink orders go, they're a bit unoriginal. But when a woman orders up something brown, I'm all "I will make sure your diamond is not a conflict diamond!" Also, add to this a lady who insists on picking up a round. That's always great. I have no problem paying (chivalry isn't dead, according to those Chivas ads), but when a girl is like, "No, you got the first few, Slim, I got this one," I'm all "My parents will totally help your parents find the right caterer."
Being Good in a Crowd
A huge turn-off for me is when a woman acts possessive or turns into a clinging mute in the company of others. But! This is a column about positives, and therefore this is about how much I love when a woman I'm with is comfortable around new people without getting eerily quiet and hovering around the periphery of a conversation with that creepy mute focus that you see in movies about women who eventually go nuts and telekinetically murder an entire town. She's a fine actor and probably a nice woman, but I don't want to date Sissy Spacek. Yet you gals out there who tackle social situations, the "screw it" crew who just go with it and don't shrink like people say violets do -- you're tops!

Liking Blowjobs
Note: I didn't say loving blowjobs. The line between liking blowjays and loving blowjays is seeming like you enjoy tuning a guy's horn and seeming like you enjoy posting clips on YouPorn of you taking on 10-piece Mariachi bands. Enjoying the act -- yay! Moaning about much you looooove it when a guy palms yours ears? A bit too much.
Girl Smell
How the hell do you do it? I take showers, I use shampoo, yet how come bluebirds don't follow my scent when I walk outside? The way girls smell is one of the wonders of science, right next to dark matter and Hayden Christensen's still getting speaking roles. You used my shower and my 2-in-1 shampoo and still your hair smells like hope and passion fruit! HOW?
The Way You Casually Destroy Other Women
I have plenty of lady friends and, to a woman, they're pretty much sweet and smart and sane. Yet if they don't like another woman at the party / bar / corner office, they effortlessly morph into Ian McShane from "Deadwood": "Oh, that chick is swine, swine, I wouldn't @#% that #$!@ with a #@!*&." Oh well, thanks for the clarification, sweet little Anne from Georgia in the sundress who usually says, "Aw, fudge!" when she stubs her toe.
Elbows
I don't know why, but lady elbows are hilarious and cute. Look at your little elbows! What are they doing there? Oh, just introducing your forearm to your bicep? How pleasant!
All That Crap in Your Bag
Some dudes might be all "Why do you have to carry so much with you everywhere in that ridiculously huge bag?" But not me. I love girls and their ridiculously huge bags and all the crap that's in them. Just yesterday I was pawing through a friend's purse in a "needless item" fugue. You should have seen the stuff she had! If someone burst into the bar and was all "Quick, I require a sewing needle, 20 pounds of glossy magazines, a deck of cards, not one but two combs, matches, a heavy-flow tampon, a tungsten rod and Serbian President Boris Tadic's autobiography -- and step on it!" I could have produced said items from my friend's bag. It's 100 degrees outside, and she's willing to lug around a metric ton of nonsense? Brilliant.
The Fact That You Think That Air Conditioner Is Too Heavy to Lift
Adorable.
Accents
All of them, really. Hey, I know you can't help it if you don't have one, but you're also the same gender who will sleep with just about any Australian dude and most Brits, so live and let live, ladies. If I meet a gal and she's got any kind of accent -- Southern, Italian , Baltimorean -- I pretty much turn into an erection with eyebrows. I think we should all just fall in love with people who have different accents than we do. I could listen to a chick with a French accent read the shooting script to "Garden State" in full exaltation mode.
I could go on and on. Women on motorcycles, women on congressional subcommittees, women on "The Price Is Right" who excel at Plinko ... it's really endless. So, next time you see me checking you out, realize it's not just about your boobs and butt, it's also about the way you passive-aggressively flip magazine pages during sporting events.
[Redacted] Guy is the resident Single Guy writer for Lemondrop. He once got a model to sleep with him just by reciting the lyrics to the 311 song "Amber" in a Catalan. He can bench more than your dad but would never say so because, in spite of these considerable accomplishments, he's very humble.
You can send him hate mail and love letters here, and follow him on Twitter.













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Wednesday 28 July
By Jen
Aww. You just made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
That being said, I could have written almost the same list about men. Replace girl smell with man smell (I have been known to take nose hits of male friends), replace destroying other women with dick jokes (yes, they are funny), and replace all the crap in the bag with the magical ability to produce knives and multitools from midair, and that's my list.
For the record, though, that air conditioner is NOT too heavy to lift. It's just a pain in the butt, and I'd much rather watch a man and his muscles lift that thing and produce man smell than heft the stupid thing up there myself.
Reply
Wednesday 28 July
By Alicia
I am so happy to know that I am not the only person who leans over and buries my nose in my guy friends' shoulders just because they smell good. And honestly, I do my own heavy lifting just because I know my dad and he can't do shit, so I kind of assume most men are that way. But if I find someone capable of hefting an air conditioner, I'll let him do it. Those things are frickin' clumsy to try and wrangle when you're 5'3"
Wednesday 28 July
By ducks02
yes! they could wearing nothing but underwear and they still possess the power to open a sealed box. It's a power i try to take advantage of often.
Thursday 05 August
By KelBel
Agreed! I was slightly irked reading this guys list...Definitely was hoping for something more insigtful.
Wednesday 28 July
By san
women ask other people to lift my air conditioner because there's always a chance it could fall on someone on the street and we don't want to go to jail.
Reply
Wednesday 28 July
By Vanessa
Normally when I read Redacted Guy's articles I'm all "right on!" and for the most part, this one is sweet. But "The Way You Casually Destroy Other Women" bothers me. I sometimes have difficulty resisting urge to be all caustic when there's a woman around who I dislike, i.e. when I saw the stoner betch at a party recently, who at a past party when I was but a wee shy lass of 16 said to me "oh I forgot you were here!" in my head I thought "bitch compensates for not having a personality by using lots of drugs and peer pressuring anyone that doesn't so she can feel like she's cool! anorexic popcorn-only eating whore, I'd like to slap you with a flank steak! good thing I'm prettier otherwise I'd have to be jealous!" I quell the urge and try to focus on having fun, slip up and say "I hate when stoners try to be deep" when I overhear their verbal garble, but ultimately I resist it and have a hella good time. Giving into negativity like that, regardless of whether or not the other woman "deserves it" beyond making you look bitter ruins your mood as well. /Rant. I don't believe picking apart or "destroying" other women is ok, and I don't think it's something men should love.
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Sunday 01 August
By MArc
You posted that twice Vanessa. Are you sure that you aren't high right now??
Friday 13 August
By TippyToes
I dont think he was intending the message to be read that he enjoys women destroying or picking apart other women. I think he only meant that he likes it when a lady can have a personality of a "sweetheart" one minute then show a little "jealousy" towards another female or uncomfortable with what another female is doing/wearing and suddenly turns into superwoman with attitude. I think he's saying that in his opinion he likes it that some women possess the power to be sweet for the most part but also have a little fiesty side too.
Saturday 14 August
By Mike L
I believe the reason here, why men find that women "casually destroy other women" to be attractive is not because your insulting someone. And your right about causing drama and how this can affect your mood. Us men like this because it makes us feel like you want to be better than "that stoner chick" and an assertive and goal oriented women can be very attractive. Also that tad bit of frustration makes us feel important to you. I would think to myself "I know shes not jealous of her, she wants to feel superior and i think its because she likes me" and thats hot shit.
Wednesday 28 July
By Vanessa
Normally when I read Redacted Guy's articles I'm all "right on!" and for the most part, this one is sweet. But "The Way You Casually Destroy Other Women" bothers me. I sometimes have difficulty resisting urge to be all caustic when there's a woman around who I dislike, i.e. when I saw the stoner betch at a party recently, who at a past party when I was but a wee shy lass of 16 said to me, with no one else around, "I forgot you were here." When I saw her at the recent party, in my head I thought "bitch compensates for not having a personality by using lots of drugs and peer pressuring anyone that doesn't so she can feel like she's cool! anorexic popcorn-only eating whore, I'd like to slap you with a flank steak! good thing I'm prettier otherwise I'd have to be jealous!" I quell the urge and try to focus on having fun, slip up and say "I hate when stoners try to be deep" when I overhear their verbal garble, but ultimately I resist it and have a hella good time. Giving into negativity like that, regardless of whether or not the other woman "deserves it" beyond making you look bitter ruins your mood as well. /Rant. I don't believe picking apart or "destroying" other women is ok, and I don't think it's something men should love.
Reply
Tuesday 03 August
By Spike
Hey Vanesssa, put the bong down, and stop being sooo deeep
Wednesday 28 July
By Alex
"Elbows
I don't know why, but lady elbows are hilarious and cute. Look at your little elbows! What are they doing there? Oh, just introducing your forearm to your bicep? How pleasant!"
hahahahahaha
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Friday 06 August
By Amy
Hahahaha! I laughed at that too, then was like "Aww, my elbows ARE hilarious and cute!"
Really, I loved this article. I thought it was gonna be all "We love when you were short slutty skirts and shorts, an when you dress up for sex" or some other stereotypical guy stuff.
Thursday 05 August
By Cindy
Wow, a woman's elbows are cute ? What kind of a fetish is this ?
Wednesday 28 July
By cori
Oh my gosh you made my day! It's nice hearing the nice things sometimes. And the fact that you think elbows are cute is priceless.
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Wednesday 28 July
By Go Inspire
You made me laugh. Out Loud. I especially liked the way you described the contents of the oversized bag of "nonsense." Great writing. Thanks!
Reply
Wednesday 28 July
By Shasta
This article is made of warm fuzzies, sunshine, love, and happiness. I laughed til I cried and I think my heart just exploded.
Reply
Wednesday 28 July
By the other side of the pillow
positive thoughts cure hangovers?!?
whaaaaaat!?!
so cheap, so easy.
and to think, all this time, i thought consuming enormous amounts of greasy scrambled eggs, cheese, carne asada and french fries neatly wrapped in a lard-laden tortilla was the best fix.
thanks redacted.
Reply
Thursday 29 July
By lessee
I'm upset by your blowjob comment; it veers too far into slut-shaming for me to be comfortable with it. "So my woman has to be into sex, but no so into it that she might be a slut! And post clips of herself giving blowjobs on youporn" because every woman who gets too into sex is automatically a whore. Awesome.
Reply
Saturday 31 July
By Noted Commenter
Absolutely right.