Last night, I tuned in to The Pickup Artist with some male friends who wanted to hone and master their lady-skills. Frankly, I was curious: what were these secret, manipulative tricks, designed to draw women like a fly to honey? What could I learn about my gender through the other's eyes? And most importantly, why did host "Mystery" wear ski goggles?

                                                  
                                                       The Pick Up Artist host "Mystery"
To my surprise, I found myself agreeing with most of the show's advice. It gave cheap tricks, only useful for hook-ups in bars, but also  sound thoughts on being visible, strong, and dramatic enough to appear on a woman's social radar. I actually liked the show's 'teachings' more than my male companions did.

"Mystery's" appeal comes from a learned charisma, and his fuzzy hats and eyeshadow are only props to demonstrate how much confidence he carries. By the time the pick-up gurus had their pupils test speaking skills by telling stories to little girls, they'd won my allegiance. Was this accidental - or was I victim to a grand-scale, program-wide pick-up?

Adding to my growing suspicion - during commerical breaks, my friends and I were treated not to ads for razors, beer, and Axe, but rather for women's shampoo. Baby products. Even a commercial for early pregnancy detection.

Could The Pickup Artist be written for the gents, but targeted towards the ladies?