Why American women find British men so appealing

Why American women find British men so appealing is an eternal tale of romance from across the pond.

In 2005, I bought a drink for a beautiful American woman in a pub just off London’s Oxford Street. In 2008, we said, “I do”. Then several pairs of friends who met at our wedding ceremony said, “We might”.

After several friends became couples after meeting at our wedding, we noticed an attraction between American women and British men. It was more than mere coincidence, and led us to launch the online dating service www.datebritishguys.com to introduce American women to British men, and vice versa.

Today more than 108,000 members have signed up for our service. Our members are made up of approximately 65 per cent Americans (women) and 35 per cent Brits (men). Every month our sign-ups show how intrigued American women are by the prospect of finding a British “Mr Right”.

But why do American women find British men so alluring?

Is it the accent?

A YouGov survey found that 35% of American women said British men had attractive accents, and we consistently hear from our members that the accent is one of the most attractive qualities when they first meet a match. Our site has a ‘Record Accent’ function on profiles, so both parties can hear how possible matches sound.

The interesting thing about the American view of British accents is that you don’t need to speak with Received Pronunciation or sound like a member of the royal family. Whatever your accent, no matter which region in the UK you are from, American women often find it charming. I’ve been told that my accent – and I sound nothing like an Old Etonian – sounds sophisticated, sexy and intelligent.

Somehow, the way we speak alludes to some innate class, which leads to the next point.

A suggestion of class

A staggering 10.2 million American viewers tuned in to watch the first episode of the latest Downton Abbey series, and the movie grossed $31 million in its opening weekend at the US box office.

Americans are fascinated by the combination of our accent, our history and our culture. From dining tables set with silver cutlery, women wearing hats at sporting events, drinking sherry from crystal glasses, Sunday lunch at a country pub – It’s true; we are exotic and mysterious creatures.

Politeness

In general, British people are perceived as very polite. If you spend any time outside the UK, you’ll notice that people in other nations don’t say ‘sorry’ as we do. An anthropologist once conducted a study where she deliberately walked into hundreds of Brits and found that 80 per cent of people she bumped into said ‘sorry’ even though the collision was her doing. It’s true, we say sorry a lot. We may not always mean it, but it suggests the illusion of politeness.

Sense of humour

For many Americans, the flipside to British reserve is our sense of humour. Our humour seems to poke fun at anything and everything; lines of politeness do not seem to apply. As a result, British comedies and comedians are one of Britain’s strongest exports. Much of the world – American women included – think we are funny.

Castles and titles

Then there is the fairytale image, conjured up from childhood bedtime stories, recently brought to life. Some would suggest the ‘Meghan Markle effect’ has inspired American women to look for their own Prince Charming, duke, earl, viscount or baron.

In reality, you don’t need to be a tweed-wearing member of the nobility to find your perfect American match, but the pressure of making a good first impression can be daunting. We all want to make a connection with someone who checks all the boxes, so where do we begin? What do we say? Luckily for us British men, the adage may be true: It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.

Want to sign up for DateBritishGuys and share your accent with American women? Sign up at www.datebritishguys.com   

by Ben Elman, founder of DateBritishGuys.com

This is sponsored with images supplied by Gentlemans Butler