Courtship Displays and Attraction Signalsspringier gait as a display of health and vitality and to convey
their suitability as a partner. A man will stand taller, protrude
his jaw and expand his chest to make himself appear domi-
nant. A woman who is interested will respond by emphasising
her breasts, tilting her head, touching her hair, exposing her
wrists and thereby making herself appear submissive.
The ideal place to observe these changes is on a beach when
a man and a woman approach each other from a distance. The
changes take place when they are close enough to meet each
other's gaze and will continue until after they have passed each
other, at which time their original posture returns.
Body language is a fundamental part of courtship because it
reveals how available, attractive, ready, enthusiastic, sexy or
desperate we are. While some courtship signals are studied
and deliberate, others, such as those just mentioned, are com-
pletely unconscious. It is still unclear how we learn these
signals but research now shows that many may be inborn.
The Emergence of the Colourful Male
In the majority of mammals, it's the male that 'dresses up' to
impress the less than colourful females. Humans, however, do
it the other way around. For centuries, women have done most
of the sexual advertising by decorating themselves in colourful
clothing and jewellery and painting their faces. The exception
to this was during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in
Europe when men adorned themselves with beautiful wigs and
colourful clothing and out-dressed the average woman. Keep
in mind also that, historically, while women have dressed to
attract men, men have dressed in clothing to either show status
or to frighten away enemies. Today we see the re-emergence of
the self-obsessed male who is again beginning to decorate
himself like a peacock. We see footballers having facials and
manicures, and wrestlers tinting their hair. In the USA we have
seen the emergence of the 'metro-sexual' male — a heterosex-
ual male who copies women's behaviour patterns — he has