Dating, Mating and Manhandling: The Ornithological Guide to Men – Flaunt Magazine

Men are dogs, or so the saying goes. But in Dating, Mating, and Manhandling, the latest hot-pink cover on the the womens self-help shelf, format Flaunt columnist Lauren Frances raises a good point. While both have a predilection for urinating outdoors and indiscriminate breeding, dogs, unlike men, are loyal for life and easy to train. “Men,” she writes, “are more like birds: they startle easily when you make fast moves and often get very close, then suddenly fly away.”

With the spunk and wit of Carrie Bradshaw’s columns, Frances’ rules are for the Sex and the City woman. And though the modern-day approach is racier, the classic dating axiom endures: “You must always wait for him to call you.” Hard-to-get is still the game and playing it cool (with confidence) is still the key. Yet unlike The Rules girls who are waiting by the phone, Frances’ gals are out on the town, armed with lip gloss and stilettos, flirting and dating (and mating).

With humorous anecdotes from her “hands on” experiences, the book yields some effective and empowering advice for woman both in and out of relationships. She takes the classic rules of courtship and applies them to contemporary conundrums. Women of our generation must know when to let a man’s call go straight to voicemail, know how to read (into) a man’s e-mail, be wary of cameras in the bedroom (because with the click of a button your little tryst could be broadcast around the world), and steer clear of what she delicately calls “backdoor love.” If The Rules gives the kind of advice that you mo doles out, Frances offers what you sagest girlfriends would tell you–after a few mojitos.

-Lilbet Snellings