The P.U.A. Scam
Over the years, many people have asked me if the tactics of pick-up artists (P.U.A.) work. In case you're wondering, there are several renowned pick-up artists such as Neil Strauss, Mystery, David DeAngelo, etc. Their followers, who often refer to themselves as the "seduction community," cite these guys as gurus to gaming women. These guys often ply the same tactics of going into a club setting and approaching as many women as possible. Based on my experience as a male stripper who has had his fair share of sex, I find a lot of advice from these self-proclaimed PUAs to be absolute horseshit.
The whole attraction concept is very subjective, so PUA can never be a concrete science. The whole PUA process revolves around the consumer (the guy who can't get laid) buying into the PUA products (seminars, books, videos, etc). The self-proclaimed gurus sell these seminars or books at inflated prices with the promise that you'll improve your "game."
Sound ridiculous? Because it is.
Let's take a quick glance at these gurus so you can see for yourself:
Neil Strauss
I'll start with Neil Strauss, the author of The Game. I've actually read that book at the recommendation of someone who follows my blog, and disappointment is a weak word to describe my feelings. In his book, Strauss claimed that he was the second-best pick-up artist in the world, only surpassed in gaming skills by his mentor who is referred to as "Mystery." Yeah, I rolled my eyes too. I need to take him along to a male revue and we'll see how well being the "second-best" in the world fares at picking up women there.
Just for laughs, here is a video of Neil Strauss spewing his bullshit:
Now for you naysayers who claim that Neil Strauss can get women---that's certainly true. However, keep in mind that he interviewed stars for the Rolling Stones magazine beforehand, then he became a best-selling author. Having achievements like those help. However, take those away from him and stick him on Tinder and let's see how many swipes he's going to get.
He currently has a business website that offers men advice on dating. It's called Neil Strauss' Stylelife Academy. Save your time and money by ignoring it.
Mystery
Here's Neil Strauss's mentor:
Maybe it's because I live in the rural South, but this guy would get his ass kicked if he tried to romp around my neighborhood parading around like that. In case you're wondering why Mystery is wearing black fingernail polish, steam-punk goggles, and eyeliner, Neil Strauss refers to this whole absurd manner of dress as "peacocking." In other words, you dress outlandishly to catch the attention of all the women in the room. I hope Mystery didn't scam too many people out of their money by preaching this shit.
For entertainment purposes, here's another pic of him dressed as a gothic Cat in the Hat:
The whole attraction concept is very subjective, so PUA can never be a concrete science. The whole PUA process revolves around the consumer (the guy who can't get laid) buying into the PUA products (seminars, books, videos, etc). The self-proclaimed gurus sell these seminars or books at inflated prices with the promise that you'll improve your "game."
Sound ridiculous? Because it is.
Let's take a quick glance at these gurus so you can see for yourself:
Neil Strauss
I'll start with Neil Strauss, the author of The Game. I've actually read that book at the recommendation of someone who follows my blog, and disappointment is a weak word to describe my feelings. In his book, Strauss claimed that he was the second-best pick-up artist in the world, only surpassed in gaming skills by his mentor who is referred to as "Mystery." Yeah, I rolled my eyes too. I need to take him along to a male revue and we'll see how well being the "second-best" in the world fares at picking up women there.
Just for laughs, here is a video of Neil Strauss spewing his bullshit:
Now for you naysayers who claim that Neil Strauss can get women---that's certainly true. However, keep in mind that he interviewed stars for the Rolling Stones magazine beforehand, then he became a best-selling author. Having achievements like those help. However, take those away from him and stick him on Tinder and let's see how many swipes he's going to get.
He currently has a business website that offers men advice on dating. It's called Neil Strauss' Stylelife Academy. Save your time and money by ignoring it.
Mystery
Here's Neil Strauss's mentor:
The No. 1 P.U.A. in the world, according to Strauss. |
Maybe it's because I live in the rural South, but this guy would get his ass kicked if he tried to romp around my neighborhood parading around like that. In case you're wondering why Mystery is wearing black fingernail polish, steam-punk goggles, and eyeliner, Neil Strauss refers to this whole absurd manner of dress as "peacocking." In other words, you dress outlandishly to catch the attention of all the women in the room. I hope Mystery didn't scam too many people out of their money by preaching this shit.
For entertainment purposes, here's another pic of him dressed as a gothic Cat in the Hat:
David DeAngelo
Moving on, let's discuss David DeAngelo, also known as Eben Pagan. While he's not quite as popular as he once was in the early 2000's, he used to be one of the most prominent figures in the seduction community and released a successful e-book called, "Double Your Dating." I'll spare you the entire book and sum up the two main points: Be cocky and funny and don't be a wimpy nice guy. Got it? Good. You just saved yourself some money, because those are really those only two points in the whole book, followed by numerous examples.
Moving on, let's discuss David DeAngelo, also known as Eben Pagan. While he's not quite as popular as he once was in the early 2000's, he used to be one of the most prominent figures in the seduction community and released a successful e-book called, "Double Your Dating." I'll spare you the entire book and sum up the two main points: Be cocky and funny and don't be a wimpy nice guy. Got it? Good. You just saved yourself some money, because those are really those only two points in the whole book, followed by numerous examples.
What sets David DeAngelo (I mean, Eben Pagan) apart from the other two is that he's actually a pretty shrewd marketer. He enlisted Ebaum's World--back when it was a popular media site--to advertise his e-book, and he mass-promoted to young college-age males across the internet. In fact, he gives marketing advice right here:
Yep, that's David DeAngelo above. So if you want to follow his advice from "Double Your Dating," then hit on many women as possible, be cocky, be funny, and don't be a wuss while doing so. Wait... so you're not a cocky or funny person? That's okay. Just fake being something you're not! Women will never pick up on forced arrogance and humor.
Roosh V
I'm not going to spend too much time discussing this guy. He self-published books on his sexcapades, whether they're true or not is debatable, and he received widespread criticism from various media outlets, which label him as a "sex tourist," "rapist," and "misogynist."
In a nutshell, this guy gets a lot of negative press. Therefore, I really don't need to elaborate on what other journalists had already covered. Judging from the forums and such, it seems that women abhor this guy, while his followers consist of creepy millenials.
Overall, the PUA market is lucrative industry. There are many men more desperate than ever to spend their money on whatever will get them a relationship or get them laid. I can sympathize because I fell into this category at one point in my life (minus the spending money part because I was too cheap). But if you want to attract women, these guys are not the answer. Unless the advice is about making improvements to yourself via exercise, career, mental health, finance and motivation, then I advice you steer clear of most of this PUA garbage out there.