My Condolences on Your Marriage

It is traditional for a single man to shudder at the prospect of marriage. 

Loss of "freedom" (a.k.a the dreaded "one-gina" disease)
Loss of independence ("Thanks guys, but I'll be having a quiet one at home tonight with the missus")
Loss of female fans ("oh, Jack? Yeah, he's pretty cute. But he's married.")


and so on so forth.

Now to some extent (depending on a range of variables), the above mentioned consequences of marriage can and usually are true for most men.




But have any of you ever stopped to consider the upside of marriage?




Let's face it - most single men spend a large chunk of their energy and money on girls. 

We buy nice clothes. We read mens' style blogs. We make sure every strand of hair is in (or out of ) place. We work out incessantly at the gym. We attend courses on how to attract women. We read books on how to get girls. We work hard to buy nice, fast cars. We ride in those nice, fast cars to attract nice, fast women.

My personal, conservative projections are that the average man spends about 72% of his total usable life energy on pursuits that are directly/indirectly related to attracting the opposite sex. 




Marriage puts an end to this.




You no longer feel that much of a need to impress. Your bank balance stabilizes. Your confidence level soars as you settle comfortably into your own skin. You feel a sense of stability and comfort from the fact that you have a partner who's there to share the sun and the rain. The aforementioned 72% of energy spent on seeking out hot blooded females can now be diverted to career and self development pursuits.


In addition, assuming that your wife-to-be is a financially sound person, you'll also enjoy the advantage of being able to invest and save twice as much. Between the two of you, loan repayments can be shared, resources pooled and wealth multiplied. 

More than three quarters of the 40 richest people in Malaysia are married. So what are you waiting for?




Proceed to the nearest Vegas chapel and get married,
Today!


Offer valid while stocks last.

Read more »

Men of Color

An anomaly has always existed that reinforces the notion that man (woman) is never satisfied. 


White people want to become tan people. And tan people (comprised of mostly Asian people) want to become white (fair) people. 


I don't know about the blacks though. Y'all be rockin' whatever look God throws at you. Heck, black people are probably the only people who look good with a chrome dome. 






But reverting to the matter at hand, we observe that:

7% of women (or men) prefer their men fair.

23% of women (or men) prefer their men to be neither here nor there. A little salt and pepper, as they say. I don't know if that maxim applies to skin color... but anyway,

A majority (42%) want their man to be tan (I think I have natural rapping talent).

And 26% of you want to get with a black guy.

Read more »

Hi. I'm your new Female Perspective

Hi boys.

I've already been introduced by the ever-charming Rudi, and I'd like to apologise for the delay of my first post!

But it's all about starting. So now that I've started I'll be revving it up from here, giving my female thoughts and advice for the delicious man.

If you didn't know, I'm the new 'Straight Eye' for the Straight Guy.

I know we all know that this blog has quite a following because it's a guide for men....by a man! (which comes rare, compared to female guides on men).

Articles on this blog are well-penned about dressing better...to living better...and for some clueless or not-so-clueless men out there - behaving better.

But as time went on, Rudi felt that this blog needed a different perspective to complement the overly-testosterone charged male-male perspective.

So, no. Not another male perspective.

Straight Eye Guy needed a Straight Eye Lady.

So he got himself one:

Most women love flowers, no matter how cliché it is. It still is - the thought that counts.

I'm Saran, and I'm going to have a helluva exciting journey alongside Rudi on making men become bolder and sexier!

Whatever you need to know about women, please don't hesitate to ask! (Perverted questions will be dealt with...severely.)

Just a starter: I think that Men are amusing creatures.

Through the years I've realised that men are really, quite simple. The only thing that makes them difficult?

Their damned male ego!

So it's my duty from now on, to share our real thoughts on men. You've either heard it before or not.

Stripped bare.

Wait for it soon...til then,

Cheers!

Saran

xx

Read more »

Saran

Ladies and gentlemen,


In our quest for the aesthetic and psychological betterment of mankind, I would like you to warmly welcome a new friend into our midst. 


As ambitious a project as Straight Eye for the Straight Guy was (and is), I could never help but to feel that something was missing from the fray altogether. 


Sure, as a straight dude, I could ramble all day about how we can dress better and live better and behave better, but at the end of the day, you straight men out there are not here to try and impress me. 


You're here to impress straight girls.

And who better to hear it from than a straight girl herself. 








So without further ado, I proudly present to you, the newest member of the SEftSG team:-

Saran, meet World.

Read more »

A New Eye for the Straight Guys

Now I'm very appreciative when the occasional reader pops me an email or a comment expressing his enjoyment at a particular article or tip. Yet I am aware (certain) that the average straight guy is not out there to impress me. The average straight guy is out there to impress the average (or in most cases, above average) straight girl. 

So what if I told you that now you're not only getting the point of view of a straight guy when it comes to dressing better, living better and behaving better... you're also going to get the P.O.V of a straight girl to dressing better, living better and behaving better. 

And an above average straight girl too at that.

Stay tuned.

Read more »

Mommy, what's a "sexual"?

As of late, I've come to the realization that a majority of the physically fit, well dressed men I know are gay. Something like 6.5 out of 10. 


In addition, the stereotypical "gay" man, contrary to popular belief, isn't necessarily built like a rake and doesn't necessarily walk with a sway nor trot around with a glittery Prada clutch. 

Many of today's gay men, are in fact, somewhat refined versions of man - impeccable posture, outstanding interpersonal skills, well read, witty, humorous and of course, as the women would say - fine physical specimens. 

Rupert Everett - didn't see that coming, did ya?

Nonetheless, it has come to my understanding that within the dynamics of a homosexual relationship, there are 2 main roles - the gayer and the gayee. 


The gayer plays the role of the ... giver, whilst the gayee - the receiver. No elaboration necessary. 

The gayee apparently fits the mold of the stereotypical perception of a gay man - soft, feminine and all things sway-able. Whereas the gay-er couldn't be further from that - a manly, dominant presence, often indistinguishable from a metro-sexual straight man.








But what do I know? I can't really tell the difference between a homosexual and a metro-sexual myself, unlike 62% of readers. 










And uh... a "sexual" is er... a kind of bird, young man (13%). Yes, yes, yes... it's nothing but a species of bird. Or bee. 

Read more »

Guybrows

I've always considered myself a metro-sexual. Nevertheless, there are certain territories into which I do not/have not ventured - speedos (not anymore, at least), boots, suspenders, waxing... eyebrow shaping - till about 3 months ago, to be exact. 

Now, dressing well and personal grooming is all fine and dandy. But like any other straight guy, I yearn to maintain a reasonable sense of manliness - in other words, I don't want to go to such lengths of metro-sexuality so as to be consistently mistaken for a homosexual (this comes with absolutely no disrespect to all homosexual friends/readers). But with the aid and coercion of my wife, I recently succumbed to one session of eyebrow plucking. I experienced two revelations after my fateful showdown with the tweezers: 

1. Eyebrow plucking HURTS

nevertheless,

2. Eyebrow plucking is ESSENTIAL

Pain and necessity - now who'd have thought I'd be linking the two in one breath. Rhetorical question.

The reality is many straight men are afraid. Afraid of anything that exceeds the vanity level of combing their hair, slapping on moisturizer and putting together a decent outfit. Anything that exceeds the aforesaid vanity level instantly falls into a threshold of discomfort where many a straight man would never dare venture. 

But fellas, I'm telling you - man to man, heart to heart - get those eyebrows plucked.

Sure, the initial pain might be slightly uncomfortable - but it won't kill you (being badly groomed in today's dog-eat-dog world, though, might). The eyebrows are only one of the most important, defining facial features God laid down on that mug of yours - eyebrows serve as the curtains of the windows to your soul (your eyes). A neatly shaped pair adds aesthetic definition and intensity to the surrounding area; and healthy, well-groomed eyebrows also serve as a subconscious indicator of health and youthful vigor. Try it - chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised how much a little eyebrow tweaking can do for your entire outlook. 

Plucking your eyebrows can create a very desirable 'natural-arch' which creates an intense 'James Bond'-esque stare

That being said, caution must be exercised when performing the said procedure - overly shaped, over-the-top eyebrows as opposed to natural-looking, tidy eyebrows only serve to make you look more like Prince instead of Pierce (Brosnan) . When it comes to guybrows, the guiding principle is not so much to "shape" them as to just "cleaning them up". My advice is to go to a salon that specializes in men's eyebrow shaping as opposed to a general salon that is likely to have done most of its work on female clients. 

And to all my compadres who have been blessed with the gift of the unibrow - you're first in line.

Read more »

A Better Man

Currently enjoying the pina coladas, the sunshine, the sea-breeze and the sun-kissed sands that Thailand has to offer and a thought comes to mind: the vast amount of men populating the streets of the world (including those right here in Krabi) who could look immensely better with nothing more than a pinch of effort. 




A dash of the gym here, a slight wardrobe tweak there, a little bit of focus on posture and disposition everywhere... and virtually any Tom, Harry and Dick could look like an extremely better-looking Tom, Harry and Dick. Almost instantly. 








If any of you (especially the ladies) have ever wondered why there are a lack of attractive, eligible men out there, it's really not so much that God omitted to create the aforesaid genre of man. Rather, the reason that there are relatively more attractive women around as compared to men is because the ladies care about how they look, and thus put in the requisite effort and time in grooming. On the other hand, many straight men are nonchalant or in many cases, simply afraid to invest in personal grooming for fear of being labelled 'soft' or being stereotyped as non-heterosexual. 






In addition to grooming, character and disposition is equally, if not more, important. Today's man must seek out and obtain the development of personal skills such as public speaking, mingling, small-talk, social niceties, formal protocol and tasteful jesting. 








Straight Eye for the Straight Guy claims no expertise in any of the above fields, but it is our collective hope that whatever knowledge and information picked up and passed along to you will be for your betterment and personal enjoyment. Good night and Godspeed.

Read more »

Why You Like Who You Like

About one third of the world's population believe in the notion of "love at first sight". The other two-thirds are realistic.


But rather than embarking on a debate into the virtues and setbacks of committing your love life to somebody who may turn out to look quite different in the morning, I am here to put forth yet another largely baseless, ill-researched theory on the things we do and why we do them. 




Today, I'm going to tell you... why you like the people you like.




You heard it here first on Straight Eye for the Straight Guy - attraction to the opposite sex is dominantly influenced by two factors: 


Firstly, the quality of your relationship with your parent of the opposite sex (if you're a woman - your relationship with your father, and vice versa) and of course, that thing we call the media.  












The Parent-Child Relationship Theory


It's safe to say that our parents are, respectively, the first man and the first woman we meet here on our introduction to planet Earth. 


The implications of this are severe.


Not only are our early personalities shaped largely by our parent's interactions with us and their own behavioral traits - our taste in the opposite sex also stems from them.


A bold claim, yes. Get it? I bolded the word bold. Aha ha aha ha ha...




....




Yeah.










Allow me to explain this claim with the analogy of a boy and his mother.




Presuming that the said boy grew up having a healthy and reasonably close-knit bond with his mother, his early perceptions of women will be formed based on her. What a woman behaves like, how a woman talks, how a woman walks... are all the little cues his developing mind will subconsciously perceive. 


She will be the benchmark - the standard that he will judge all the subsequent women he meets in life - including his eventual partner. 

Take my life for example. Me and my mom are tight. Not Mama's-Boy tight, but we do have a "healthy and reasonably close-knit bond". With my father taking over the breadwinner duties, my mother was the most constant character in the long running sitcom of my upbringing. Therefore, how she interacted with me, what she taught me, and the things she did for me as a child gradually shaped my adult perceptions of what a woman is capable of and also formed in my mind the inherent 'value' of a woman. 


Graduating into adolescence, I, like everybody else, had my share of crushes and puppy-dog relationships. But as a whole, I found that the women I was most attracted to had elements of... my mom.


As horrific and wrong as that sounds, it is true. I realized that women who displayed character traits akin to my mother and/or bore appearances most similar to her struck the loudest chords in the opposite-sex-attraction lobe of my brain. 

This theory, however, does not apply to those who have had estranged or relatively distant relationships with their mothers/fathers. Take my friend Mortimer* for example. Mortimer grew up despising his mother, but adoring his father. While he balked with prejudice at anything his mother did or said, he metaphorically worshiped the ground his father walked on. 


And I kid you not - the woman he married resembles his father (in her defense, his father was a fine looking gentleman). As photographic evidence is unavailable, you'll just have to take my word for it.






The same applies to women. Women who have had fantastic relationships with their fathers are more likely to be attracted to what I call the "George Clooney" male phenotype, ie. older men who resemble fatherly figures. The same could be true of women who have had the lack of a father figure in their lives - their need for such a man is expressed in their attraction towards powerful older men who might not be immediately perceived as 'attractive' in the aesthetic sense of the word. 

"Who's your daddy?" I am.

The whole jimmy of it is that our parents somehow or rather, do play an influential role in influencing our taste in the opposite sex.








That being said, in the majority of cases - an even more powerful influencing factor is










The Media Theory


This will probably come as no surprise to many. Today's world is a world of information overload - billboards, television programs, music videos and print advertising bombard our five senses continually, persistently and effectively. We buy products because we like an advertisement we see on the tube. We drive carefully because of a particularly horrifying accident we witness in the newspapers. And more significantly, we are attracted to the people we are attracted to because of what we see glorified by the omnipotent behemoth that is The Media. 

I conducted a short informal survey over the course of several months where I posed 2 very simple queries to a small sample group of Malaysian-Chinese women. 


The first question I asked them was:


1. Did you predominantly grow up watching Hollywood films or Hong Kong dramas (very popular among the Chinese population of Malaysia) ?


2. Compare the following 2 male models and choose the one you find more attractive. For the experiment, I used two models with roughly similar features and subjective attractiveness, but perceivably distinct ethnic differences. Daniel Henney (a Korean-American model/actor) and David Gandy (a British male model):

Daniel Henney 

David Gandy

As you may have already guessed by now, the women who grew up with Hollywood media overwhelming chose David Gandy over Daniel Henney. The opposite was true of the "Hong Kong drama" women who did not hesitate in selecting Daniel Henney over David Gandy.

Admittedly, the survey failed to take into consideration many intangible factors, but it does suggest the conclusion that the media has an alarmingly powerful influence on why we like the people we like.  

For further evidence - we needn't look further than the prevailing lack of Asian male - Caucasian female couples. In western society, Asian males couldn't be represented worse - Chinese men are almost always cast as grocery store owners and/or samurai-wielding-yakuza-karate-chop types. Hardly the same level of virility as the action star or the charming protagonist often played by the Caucasian hero. Sure, one could argue that Jackie Chan and Jet Li have paved the way somewhat for the recognition of Asian men in Hollywood - but consider this - when have Jet or Jackie ever really gotten the girl?

This pretty much sums up what Asians mean to Hollywood.

In conclusion - beauty is not so much a genetically-coded concept as it is one that is shaped through the various influences we absorb through course of our lives. Give it a thought - the people you find yourself attracted to - why them? Why not the Amazonian jungle-woman? Why not the stunning women of Tanzania or the exquisite beauties of the Native American tribes? 

I think you know the answer. 

*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of certain individuals  

Read more »

Whiskey for Hair Growth!

More than once in my life, I've been told that rubbing whiskey/brandy on your face is guaranteed (a word that has lost all value) to make you grow facial hair.

Though, I've seen my fair share of chronic drunkards without a sliver of facial hair. They probably either drink their alcohol with extreme decorum and care or just aren't drinking the right drinks. 

In any case, Straight Eye for the Straight Guy recently polled 45 readers on their facial hair preferences. 

The majority (35%) were of the stand that a little bit of facial growth is the way to go.

Now for the vast majority of Asian men like myself, who at best, can only grow facial hair that has been termed by the ladies as "insufficient"... woe is us.

But wait! Hope arrives valiantly in the form of the second highest polled option - 28% of voters liked us "clean & shiny" folk - a look that the Chinese have perfected over generations of living in sterile environments that did away with the evolutionary need for facial hair.*

Only 4 people thought that being "follicularly blessed" was an actual blessing, disproving the notion that more is more when it comes to facial sprouting. Though I'll bet my bottom dollar that the latter 4 voters are not men who have to wake up 20 minutes earlier every morning to whip out cream and a razor sharp Gillette just to work through that plumage that makes its renewed, unwanted appearance every morning on the faces of the dearly blessed. 

And finally, to the remaining 26%:

1 Samuel 16:7 

"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Good night and God bless. 

*Apparently facial hair is a natural-selection result of living in dustier environments, as it helps to trap and minimize dust from entering the respiratory system. 

Read more »