How To Be Charismatic?

Originally Posted by Sandi Bowman

This example from a class I attended may get some debate going.

First, it was a human sexuality class, near the end of the semester. The professor asked us to vote on the sexiest man and sexiest woman in the class.
The man who 'won' was fat, bald, and had a personality that sparkled with humor, cheer, and good will...an all-around nice guy. He was voted 'most charismatic'.

Sandi Bowman

I'm afraid to ask -- how would you describe the woman that won?

This is a big topic, I think. At the risk of starting a firestorm, there's a big difference between charismatic + sexy. Often they are mutually exclusive. For white american men -- in our CURRENT culture (things change every so often -- but it's a SLOW process) -- a woman's body shape has a lot to do with who is 'sexy' and who is not (read: size 2 or so).

Women's views about women's weight + body shape are VERY different from MEN'S views about women's weight + body shape.

If Julia Roberts had weighed 15 more pounds (or even just 10 lbs more), she could never have ('legitimately') starred in a movie called "Pretty Woman" (unless it was supposed to be satire).

It's like the OJ verdict -- each side does not, and cannot, understand where the other side is 'coming from.' It's best left as an unspoken, taboo topic.

It's ok to make a movie titled, "What women want." However, you do NOT want to see a movie titled, "What men want." Trust me.

But, if you're asking about charisma, that's a whole different thing.

-- TW