While in-fields are fine, I think theory is also important for an aspiring pick-up artist. In what follows, I provide some thoughts on the book Honey Money: the power of erotic capital by Catherine Hakim. This book published in 2011 might be interesting for guys in the community.
In the book, Hakim seeks to posit “erotic capital” as a fourth form of human capital alongside the more commonly acknowledged forms of human capital (e.g. economic, cultural, social). A combination of sociability and sex appeal, “erotic capital” is generally more developed in women than men, although men in the gay community have also been known to optimize their erotic capital. In the book, Hakim regrets how self-confident feminine sexuality has been suppressed both by religious conservatives and feminists of the bra burner variety and encourages women to harness their erotic capital to their socio-economic advantage in various ways.
One thing I found interesting about Hakim’s book was her discussion of cultural attitudes about sexuality from a comparative perspective. While you don’t think about it, we have a somewhat lame attitude about sexuality in Anglosphere countries like the U.S. and Canada, with antecedents in the protestant ethic and English-language literature. Contrastingly, countries like Italy and Brazil have a joyous attitude towards sexuality, or France, where seduction skills are valued.
I only mention this as it’s worth recognizing that what we’re doing as pick-up artists is somewhat subversive. Amidst a culture that is anti-sex, or at least has anti-sex undercurrents, the decision to actively develop your erotic capital is somewhat to break the mold. It’s a simple point, but I think accepting learning seduction is a non-mainstream passion might help guys to get on with things and potentially accelerate their learning curve.
In another lay social science book Labor of Love, author Moira Weigel argues the gay community pioneered dating practices later practiced by straight people, e.g. TGI Fridays. While the seduction community is qualitatively different from the gay community, I would similarly regard us as a frontier dating subculture. Heterosexual men would do well to follow the example of women and gays in more acutely developing their erotic capital. While long-term relationships often amount to exchange based on a guy’s resources, it is hard to imagine optimizing on erotic capital would not help in all spheres of mating but especially short-term mating, the sphere pick-up artists are generally seeking to optimize on.
In the book, Hakim seeks to posit “erotic capital” as a fourth form of human capital alongside the more commonly acknowledged forms of human capital (e.g. economic, cultural, social). A combination of sociability and sex appeal, “erotic capital” is generally more developed in women than men, although men in the gay community have also been known to optimize their erotic capital. In the book, Hakim regrets how self-confident feminine sexuality has been suppressed both by religious conservatives and feminists of the bra burner variety and encourages women to harness their erotic capital to their socio-economic advantage in various ways.
One thing I found interesting about Hakim’s book was her discussion of cultural attitudes about sexuality from a comparative perspective. While you don’t think about it, we have a somewhat lame attitude about sexuality in Anglosphere countries like the U.S. and Canada, with antecedents in the protestant ethic and English-language literature. Contrastingly, countries like Italy and Brazil have a joyous attitude towards sexuality, or France, where seduction skills are valued.
I only mention this as it’s worth recognizing that what we’re doing as pick-up artists is somewhat subversive. Amidst a culture that is anti-sex, or at least has anti-sex undercurrents, the decision to actively develop your erotic capital is somewhat to break the mold. It’s a simple point, but I think accepting learning seduction is a non-mainstream passion might help guys to get on with things and potentially accelerate their learning curve.
In another lay social science book Labor of Love, author Moira Weigel argues the gay community pioneered dating practices later practiced by straight people, e.g. TGI Fridays. While the seduction community is qualitatively different from the gay community, I would similarly regard us as a frontier dating subculture. Heterosexual men would do well to follow the example of women and gays in more acutely developing their erotic capital. While long-term relationships often amount to exchange based on a guy’s resources, it is hard to imagine optimizing on erotic capital would not help in all spheres of mating but especially short-term mating, the sphere pick-up artists are generally seeking to optimize on.
) at odds with natural selection, and excessive competition can impact reproductive fitness.