Blog Posts by Smitten, Glamour Magazine

by Gena Kaufman, Glamour

"Remember that time I watched male exotic dancers rehearse a zombie-themed routine and then interviewed two of them about their lives as strippers, for work?" asked a person who used to be a lawyer and can't believe this is her job now, AKA me.

Yep, that's right. In addition to the many things I loved about attending Romanticon, I also got to interview two guys you might describe as "real life Magic Mikes." Taylor Cole and Justin Whitfield are two male strippers (and genuinely nice guys, honest!), and together they've written a book published by Ellora's Cave about their experiences. They sat down and gave me a little preview of what you might read in the book.

A little bit of background on the life of a male stripper....

How one becomes a male stripper: Both guys grew up in small towns, and they both remember wanting to be strippers from a young age. "I remember I saw a commercial for Chippendales on TV…. And I was like wow, that is just the coolest job ever"

by Gena Kaufman, Glamour

I don't know why people act like you have to lose your virginity by a certain age or else--i.e., hello, the guys in American Pie, or basically any movie about teenage boys--but they do. For the record, there's no right age for every person.

See more: 11 Fall Hair and Makeup Looks You'll Love

And those who choose to wait until they're out of their teens (seriously, is that even considered "late") not only don't need to be embarrassed, they may even have reason to celebrate. According to new research, people who wait to have sex until they are at least 20 are more likely to enjoy happy, satisfying relationships later in life (although they are also less likely to be married), not to mention to have had a college education and work in a well-paid job.

See more: 35 New Ways to Wear Your Jeans

Of course, if you lost your virginity earlier than this you're probably not doomed to a life of misery or anything. Like I said, I just don't think there's a right age for

by Gena Kaufman, Glamour

How can I best sum up this new research? I was thinking along the lines of "No Romance and No Internet Make Women … something something." Go crazy? Don't mind if I do.

Well, maybe we don't go crazy, but it does seem that women would like to have more romance in their life. A new study on what exactly would go into a woman's "perfect day" has shown that most women would love to make romance their top priority. Awwww! Followed closely by time spent on the Internet, so they can post photos of the flowers their husband sent them for their engagement-iversary so everyone knows just how romantic their life is. Isn't making people jealous really the point, after all?

See more: 11 Fall Hair and Makeup Looks You'll Love

According to the 900 women (average age 38) surveyed, here's are some things women would like to do on their perfect day, and for how long:

* 106 minutes: Romance or um, intimate relations
* 98 minutes: Internet
* 82 minutes: Socializing
* 78

by Anne Sachs, Glamour

courtesy of Showtime You wouldn't think a show about protecting our nation from terrorist attacks would have all that much to offer in the way of dating tips. But you'd be wrong.

Here, a list of eight bits of relationship advice I picked up from last night's Homeland episode.

1. If your ex catches you stalking him, pretend that A) it's a total coincidence and B) you're smugly satisfied with how very over him you are. Then walk away. Now in Carrie's case, you'll want to follow up with making your ex super twitchy about why you're back in the FBI and what that means for him. But Carrie's in a rather unusual breakup situation. Not all of our exes are national security threats, so…

2. Unleash your protective streak. It can be hot. If you happen to notice your guy's dad is a hypercritical jerk who crushes your beloved's self-esteem at every turn, shell him with a well-placed verbal lashing. Take, for example, Dana's quick repartee with the Veep. When he accuses Dana's crush/his son

by Gena Kaufman, Glamour

I'll admit, I've done the ridiculously sexy Halloween costume before. And by "ridiculously sexy" I'm not saying that I was off-the-charts hot. I'm saying, actually ridiculous. Like one time, I was basically a sexy taxi cab. I don't even know. My point is, I'm guilty of succumbing to the trend, but that doesn't mean I can't mock it.

Particularly when it comes to these absolutely insane couples costumes I came across today. Apparently, it's quite common for a couple to dress up in "matching" outfits, if by matching, you mean the guy is dressed in a totally normal, borderline boring costume, and the woman is his half naked counterpart whether that makes sense or not (hint: it never makes sense).

Examples:

Pilots
courtesy of Party City


















See, it makes no sense that a male pilot would be all fully dressed in a suit, while this lady pilot (or whatever she's supposed to be) is basically wearing underwear. But this is just easing you in, folks. It's going to get way more ridiculous.

SWAT

by Gena Kaufman, Glamour

Since I started writing for Smitten, my friends make sure to pass on the best (and by best, I do mean worst) stories of their love lives to me. Their tales can range from sweet to funny to totally horrifying, and this one combines all three.

See more: 11 Fall Hair and Makeup Looks You'll Love

I woke up this morning to a text with the following photo from an old friend in New York who had a verrrry hot experience in bed last night. So hot it was literally smoking. She was having a cozy night in with her boyfriend, and lit a few candles. Fast forward a little later in the scene, and guess what?

Smoke, flames, blaring smoke alarms, and a total mood ruining smell. See ya never, pillows! Flickering candles might cast a sexy light, but spending the evening on the couch while you air the stench of burning sheets out of your bedroom is a definite mood setting DON'T.

See more: 35 New Ways to Wear Your Jeans

This story turned out funny, since there was minimal

by Gena Kaufman, Glamour

Very important question of the day: Is bad timing when it comes to relationships a Thing or Not A Thing?

Yesterday a friend of mine sent me a video of a TV interview with a smart, cute, nice guy (sometimes it feels very hard to find one of those!) she'd gone out with once upon a time, lamenting "Why did I mess things up with this guy?!?" Well, we both knew what she was thinking. She'd gone out with him right after she'd broken up with her boyfriend of seven years, and she was kind of a hot mess emotionally so things just didn't work out. But fast forward a year or so and she's in a much better place, so now of course she's all shoulda coulda woulda. I've totally felt the same way!

See more: 11 Fall Hair and Makeup Looks You'll Love

But how much does timing really matter? It matters, for sure, but I don't think timing alone can kill a potential relationship. It definitely affects the course of dating, but I kind of think if my friend had really been into this

by Gena Kaufman, Glamour

Another week, another online dating pattern to gripe about. I promise to write about something good to come out of online dating just as soon as it happens to me personally, not just one of my romantically-lucky friends. Hmmph.

So, this happens to me on a semi-regular basis. Not like, weekly, but enough times that I now feel compelled to write about it because I'm sure it happens to some of you guys too. I get an email via an online dating site from a guy who lives nowhere in my general vicinity, who says he's visiting my city for a weekend or such, so would I like to hang out? And I'm all, "No thanks buddy, this isn't Craigslist." Just kidding, I never even respond, because yuck!

See more: 10 Things Girls Always Do in Movies and Never Do in Real Life

I don't know, maybe I'm being too judgmental. (Me, judgmental? Never!) I guess if you're spending time alone in a new place, it would be nice to have someone local show you around, and why not a person you might