The concept of the wingman has been getting a lot of play in movies and TV shows these days. In case you aren’t familiar with the term, a wingman is a buddy that a guy brings along in order to help him score with the ladies. How does it work? Usually the two men approach two ladies, and the wingman chats up whichever girl his buddy is not targeting, leaving the main guy to woo his lady without her friend awkwardly standing by. It’s a standard technique often used in clubs and bars, with varying levels of success depending on the individuals involved.
But why should guys have all the fun? Women have been covertly using the wingman method for centuries without giving it a silly name. That being said, there’s always room to improve your technique, so listen up and take notes:
-Choose your wingwoman carefully. This is the most important part of the wingwoman process. It sounds cruel, but your wingwoman should not be far more pretty, confident, or talkative than you, or else she will get all the attention. Similarly, if your wingwoman is the painfully shy and mousy type, both of the guys will ignore her and she will feel like crap. Choose a friend who is roughly similar to you in terms of looks and conversational skills, and who doesn’t mind playing the role for your benefit. Remember: you need to be willing to return the favor at some point! Also, don’t choose your extremely jealous, passive-aggressive friend for this job; there’s nothing worse than a wingwoman who forgets that she’s winging it and steals your man.
-Get ready together. The wingwoman’s job begins long before you enter the chosen bar or club. The two of you should ideally get ready in the same location so you can pump each other up. This also allows the two of you to give input on each other’s outfits so one of you isn’t completely over- or under-dressed. Help your wingwoman look her best and ask her to do the same for you-- it will greatly expand your prospects once you arrive at your location.
-Zero in on your target. Find the guy you want to chat up, and then approach him and his group of friends with your wingwoman in tow. It’s usually best for the wingwoman to break into the conversation so that you can focus on talking to your guy.
-Have a secret sign of distress. No matter how cute the guy is that you are talking to, you can’t leave your wingwoman to the wolves. So be sure to make up a “secret sign of distress"-- something like a discreet hand gesture or a seemingly banal comment that indicates that your wingwoman needs rescuing.. The two of you can also use this sign to mean “the guy you are talking to is a loser, don’t be fooled” or “it’s time to get out of here-- things are getting weird.”
-Debrief at the end of the evening. No, not those kinds of briefs! If you arrived with your wingwoman, you need to leave with your wingwoman-- no abandoning one another just because some hottie suddenly appeared on your radar. On the way home (or over brunch the next morning), talk about your night and what the two of you could do next time in order to be more successful. Congratulate yourselves on a job well done!
