It was St. Patrick's Day, and I headed out to an Irish pub with my friend Daryn to celebrate the spirit of the Irish.
The pub was bustling. We made our way to the bar, and as Daryn waited for a space to open up to order, I noticed that the television above the entrance was tuned to the sports station. A game was in progress: the Cats versus the Crusaders, provincial rugby teams.
Now, I love rugby. My favorite Valentine's Day ever was spent in a pub watching the Six Nations rugby (France v. England) on a big screen, eating pizza and drinking beer in a pink-trimmed dancing dress. So I was content to stand and watch the rugby, ignoring the people streaming past me, while Daryn got drinks.
It was a rather awkward place to stand. Anyone entering the pub had to pass me in order to make their way to the back. I was too entranced with the game to move for passers-by.
When Daryn returned with the drinks, we decided to stay where we were. A fascinating thing begin to happen.
"All those guys are checking you out," Daryn said.
"What?" I hadn't even noticed.
"Seriously. That one guy just walked past and even turned his head back to look again."
"Naah." I laughed.
But over the next hour, it kept happening again and again. Guys would come into the pub and give me a sweeping gaze of appreciation before passing on to the bar or further back into the room.
Guys check women out. It's in their nature. But to be checked out so often in such a short period of time could only mean one thing.
I was standing in prime territory.
Every man who came into the pub had to look at me. I was standing right in his line of sight, facing him. Best of all, my gaze was focused on the game, which gave him the opportunity to check me out without my noticing.
Where you stand in a bar or club can determined whether you get noticed or ignored. There's a reason that wallflowers don't get asked to dance. The corners of a bar or club are often quite dark, hiding those lingering on the edges. However, the people standing in the middle of the bar, close to the flow of traffic, with their fronts (not backs) facing the door are the clever ones. They'll be the first to get seen.
Location, location, location. Think about it the next time you go out.