My seventh week as Delia: I’m very comfortable being Delia now.  I don’t feel like it is an act most of the time.  I don’t have to think about speaking or moving like her.  It all comes naturally.  It’s like learning to drive a car: at first it seems an impossible task and you feel like there are too many things to pay attention to at the same time.  Then, more rapidly than you could have imagined, you are driving, not thinking and concentrating hard on driving, but fluidly, unconsciously, simply… driving.

I still have moments when I revert to being more Jane than Delia, especially, for some reason, when I am teaching.  However, most of the time I walk like Delia, I talk like Delia, I am Delia.

An interesting thing about Delia is that men are attracted to her.  They talk her up and try to give her their number or smile and flirt with her.  As Delia, I get hit on almost every day. 

There must be something about the way I move or talk that says, ‘yes, I’m available.’  Delia is approachable in a way I am not.  Of course, I do get hit on occasionally in my normal life, but not too often. I try to project hands off.  I guess it works.

Given that we are one in the same, I believe the extra attention is because, as Delia, I try to focus on being soft and sweet and easy going.  I truly feel that I have all the time in the world and that there is no point in rushing.  I think this makes me approachable.  In addition, Delia really does want to meet someone special.  I think men pick up on these vibes. Looks might play into it too.  Delia wears makeup, styles her hair and dresses with care.   But I think the determining factor is body language. 

I think body language is a very powerful force in attraction.  During a project where I made myself look like a blonde bimbo media icon, I found that men treated me about the same as usual.  Although I was all dolled up, wearing heels and mini skirts, my demeanor stayed the same and my body language still said, hands off.

I have always felt that I am intimidating to men (in fact, I have been told I am intimidating by men) and, to be honest, this pleases me.  I find too much male attention irritating.

Delia, on the other hand, is not intimidating and she is not bothered by the attention, most of the time.  She occasionally finds it perplexing and a little worrisome because she doesn’t always realize someone is flirting with her until they say something more forward than she is comfortable with, and then she feels bad for leading them on.

I don’t think this experience will change my hands off demeanor.  I still believe life’s easier when I discourage male attention… (the kind that leads to them giving you their number and mouthing, “call me.”)  In my opinion, it’s better to get that kind of attention selectively. 

In the mean time, no harm, no foul as Delia wanders around attracting random men.