Woo Who?

I think, for the most part, that today's modern man (God love his diaper changin', focaccia eatin', espresso makin' soul) has forgotten the art of the woo. [woo: 1. to make love to, usually with the intention of proposing marriage; court. 2. to try to get; seek. 3. to entreat solicitously; coax; urge.] You know, courting. Not seducing. Not exactly winning [win: 1. to gain victory; be victorious; triumph; succeed...etc]. But wooing. To some women, being woo-ed is flowers (which are nice but don't take a lot of thought), candy (and I like chocolate as much as the next girl, but Jolly Ranchers...now there's a thoughtful gift), candlelit dinners (I always wondered if I wasn't really supposed to be able to see what I was eating). Wooing takes different forms to different people: I was always attracted to creativity: postcards, letters, dolls with exchanged heads. My friend in Atlanta liked a man who could sing all the words to "Dulcinea".

Many a guy may ask: but Warbler, what constitutes woo-ing? I'm not sure I can answer that specifically. Perhaps some well-known examples.

1. Gene Kelly. He woo-ed. In all his movies. Except Me and My Gal, there he was a coward and therefore incapable of the true woo. Man, could he woo. And he did it in tight dance pants and still looked manly. Ah, a man who could dance and be charming. Woo.

2. Fred Astaire. Was suave and charming but, in general, did not woo. He was usually chased by Ginger and was finally won over. No woo.

3. Cary Grant. A seducer. A tempter. Definitely a hunt/gather/winner. But not really a woo-er. However, on sheer class and sex appeal alone...*sigh* Cary...*sigh*...Grant...*sigh*. Unfortunately, woo-less.

4. Lord Darcy (gotta know your Austen): definite woo-er.

5. John Cusack in The Grifters. Big woo.

6. Jeff Goldblum. No, I kid you not. In all his roles (except for his sleazy ones like The Big Chill where we liked him but we wouldn't let him eat crackers in our bed) he is a woo-er. Like Independence Day. Geeky, yes. Woo. You betcha.

7. The Iglesias Men. Well, that goes without saying. Como se dice "woo" en espanol? (Not sure I spelled that right.)

8. George Strait. Stands. Sings. Smiles. Woos by presence alone. Women faint. Country is good. Woo, y'all.

9. Okay, you know George W. had to be a great woo-er. How else would Laura have ever been won over by him?

10. Barry Wentz. Yep, the former music teacher at the Block Island School, folks, I kid you not. Smart man knew that strong marriages require more, not less, woo-ing. I actually used to witness the man introduce his wife (more than once, mind you) as "the most beautiful woman in the world". That's a-woo-in', my friends.