speak male body language

Male body language is a powerful thing.  Several times I experienced battling for an armrest in a movie theater, shoved to the left or right inside an elevator,asked a man to remove his bag from a vacant seat on a bus so I can take it.  It pisses me off.  They do these not because they think they're bigger but because they think they have the right to do it.  We can speak their language in these simple ways so that next time, they would not think that we are weaker than them.

DON'T smile too much : Studies show that we often smile than men do in a conversation.  Smiling is the Barney of body language: It says " I like you and I hope you'll like me". That's lovely but it can backfire, making us seem desperate for approval.

DON'T break eye contact first: When we make eye contact in a conversation with a man, we are most likely to glance away first.  Try holding out, if we allow someone else to avert his eyes before we do, it will give us a sense of control.

DO stand chest-to-chest, if you're in a confrontation.  The stance makes people, men in particular, uncomfortable and will thus give you the upper hand in an argument.

DO lean in: Men tend to lean toward the center of a group more than women do.  In fact, women often lean away from the hub.  But leaning in makes you look more involved in the group, and you'll be less likely to be interrupted or lose a chance to speak altogether.

So next time you take a plane or bus or an elevator or go to a movie, keep these in mind so they won't over-power us.