I used to write for a pretty big site which will remain nameless, but for a while it was close to number 100 in the world in popularity. Altogether, in the past nine years, I’d say I’ve received about 2500 emails.
One of them, about eight years ago, was from a woman who wrote me a long letter. So I wrote back. Then she wrote again. So I wrote again.
The she sent me a picture of herself. I said, very nice, very good-looking. Then she wanted to talk on the phone. I thought about it and said, sure, okay.
This has happened altogether six times. In every case the woman went through the same sequence: write me about an article in an online magazine or on my site, then send me a photo without my requesting it, then want to talk on the phone.
I was, and still am, completely mystified by this behavior. Write, picture, phone. Is this some kind of instinct? I don’t have a clue.
The pictures are what most puzzled me. I didn’t even ask. I’ve known older guys who were in WWII, who told me German women placed photos of themselves in store windows, hoping to meet American soldiers and get out of Germany.
So I guess women instinctively understand men want to know what they look like.
All of them were single or divorced. In two cases, divorced twice. So they were trolling the internet and decided I was interesting/amusing.
One of them got married for the third time, another moved in with a guy, and as far as I know the others are still by themselves.
Strangely, only two ever asked for a picture of me in return. Others waited until they met me before they knew what I looked like.
Of course, I still have all the photos they sent me. Unfortunately, none of them are in bikinis or have swords.