An instructional blog post informing men How to talk to a woman wearing headphones has become a viral joke after it started trending on Twitter. The 2013 articles, written by an Australian man who gives classes in the “art” of picking up women, was widely ridiculed for the specificity of the potential setup and for being largely out of tune with contemporary opinions on how men should approach women uninvited in public spaces.
The piece, published on the oddly-named The Modern Man blog, includes a number of imagined scenarios where a fictional woman wearing green headphones laughs at all of the weak one-liners offered by a man interrupting her and is immediately charmed by his “friendly” and “confident” style. Tips for how to gain the attention of busy female commuters listening to heading including waving a hand in her “direct line of vision” when standing three feet in front of her and persevering if it seems like she is politely ignoring your advances.
“If you are going to talk to a woman with headphones, just keep in mind that some women will immediately take off their headphones to chat to you, some will make it obvious that they don’t want to be bothered and other might want to talk to you, but first want to see if you will remain confident if she doesn’t immediately begin talking to you,” writes Dan Bacon in the article. He goes on to suggest, “Don’t ever think that you’re doing a bad thing by approaching and talking to a woman in a confident, easy going way.”
The article has since spawned its own meme, which, in short, offers that the answer to the question How to talk to a woman wearing headphones is to not talk to them.
how to talk to a woman with headphones: immediately jump directly into an icy lake. women love wet & freezing men. she will love it
— Noelle Stevenson (@Gingerhazing) August 30, 2016
How To Talk To A Woman Wearing Headphones:
1) stand up straight
2) walk confidently
3) keep walking past her
4) leave that woman alone— Ms. Armageddon (@OaklandElle) August 30, 2016
How to approach women wearing headphones:
-Advance slowly
-Find cover
-Remain silent and motionless; Their vision is based on movement— OhNoSheTwitnt (@OhNoSheTwitnt) August 30, 2016
how to approach women wearing headphones:
1 wave wildly
2 try to appear larger than you are
3 shout loudly at the bear
4 wait that's bears— Nick Capozzoli (@NickCapozzoli) August 30, 2016
How to approach women wearing headphones in public:
- goofy smile
- cheerful attitude
- friendly eyes
- floppy ears
- be a dog— ronnie (@rondoftw) August 30, 2016
