Do Bad Girls Really Get All The Guys?

Psychiatrist Carole Lieberman thinks she's got men all figured out, and since I'm too daft to know otherwise, let's assume that she does. Let's assume that she's the Dr. Love we've been looking for, that she's the Mr. Miyagi to our Daniel LaRusso, the George Washington to our Revolutionists, the answer to our prayers. In her new book, Bad Girls, Lieberman extols the virtues of being, predictably, a bad girl. Intrigued?

Remember when we were told to stop playing games and just be ourselves? Scratch that. It's now all about how to act the part of the bad girl to snatch the guy. Here's how to play.

According to Dr. Lieberman, a bad girl is like a wily woman who utilizes the old bait-and-switch tactic: 

[A bad girl] is like a skilled fisherman. She lets the bait dangle close to the fish’s mouth, then she pulls it away. Then she lets it dangle, then she pulls it away, with the soft to-and-fro of the current, until the next time the fish sees the bait, he can’t help but swallow it, hook, line, and sinker.

She makes it sound so easy! Yet at the same time, so impossible! Lieberman isn't pulling her theories outta nowhere though — she did hardcore research and interviewed tons of guys and girls on the subject of the elusive bad girl. And what she found is that being a toying, mysterious woman is what men want and what men will commit to. The Stir: Couple Lets Facebook Name Their Baby

Lieberman even makes the argument that your favorite royal and mine, Duchess Catherine, used bad girl ways to woo her prince. Her see-through dress and the fact that she went out partying with other guys when he broke up with her only helped their relationship. Prince William couldn't resist Kate's allure, and now she lives in a castle and has the best hair of anyone on the planet. Point: Lieberman.

I'm not so sure about all of this, but I do believe there's some truth to Lieberman's research. Saying that men fall for "bad girls" though is kind of irksome — if "bad girls" are sexy and independent, why doesn't she say that men are falling for sexy and independent women? I'm sure it's an entertaining read (aren't all self-help books?) and I'd be interested to learn more about her philosophy. Just kidding! No I'm not. Yes I am! No I'm not. Yes! No. Yes! (Am I being bad girl enough?)

What do you think of the bad girl theory?

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Written by Lindsay Mannering for The Stir.