An interesting TED talk, by Chen Lizra, on "The Power of Seduction in our Everyday Lives."
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBIL2sdfoVc[/youtube]
She makes some interesting points about differences between Cubans and North Americans. At about 5:30, she describes the meaning behind the Rumba dance, and then continues with the observation that, in their everyday lives Cubans interact with each other as if they are playing the game of Rumba, and keeping the game of seduction alive. She also points out that Cubans grow up without capitalistic advertising, and are raised to love their bodies, whereas many North Americans grow up hating their bodies.
A while ago, I watched the movie Woman on Top
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYlrxM1CUPw[/youtube]
where Penelope Cruz plays a Brazilian woman who leaves her husband and moves to the USA. The Latin Lover, portrayed in the film as her Brazilian husband, is presented as extremely romantic and passionate, willing to do what it takes to win his woman, and will interpret "No!" as "Just Try Harder!" The Anglophone North American lover is presented as just the opposite: extremely reserved, "No" means "Hell No!! !" and, even yes is taken as no. When she is practically raping him on a couch, he decides that she doesn't really want it, and leaves. The movie ends with Miss Cruz's character returning to Brazil with her husband. I'm not sure if the movie would be fully classified as a Chick Flick. The American men do come off as pasty, unappealing, passionless, and ridiculous. There is one scene in the movie (shown quickly at about 40 seconds into the trailer) where a mob of American men is walking through the city behind Miss Cruz's character, not saying anything, simply entranced by her beauty. Sure, we're pathetic, but we're not that pathetic. We would certainly look, possibly stare, but not follow her around en masse like a large number of ducklings keeping up with their mother.
A popular Spanish-language dating show is Doce Corazones
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0Vvx3biEhE[/youtube]
The show is produced and televised in the USA, but is sometimes MUCH too hot and passionate for an Anglophone audience.
Which do you prefer? The Latin-American, or the Anglophone North-American style of seduction?