Why tease?

Asked by FB (508

) August 21st, 2009

Fully loaded?

You decide.

Yes indeed. Have fun with this one my friends, if you are able to permit yourself.

(I’m Teasing…)

Many things came to mind when this word was tossed about recently in a jam session I was sitting in on. We tease for several reasons I guess. To infuse a moment with some humor, to initiate an deliciously intimate exchange or just to simply inflict pain.

maaaaybe…?

There are more reasons, I am sure, but what I am most interested in exploring with the collective would be:

Why?

So, I hope that “why”, inspires a story behind a tease.

I offer up this question tonight, as for me, tonight, I have returned from a gig. Sitting in the front row were a group of ladies who were having the best time, drinking and singing along. They seemed to know my repertoire, and having never seen them before, I was really surprised when they requested one of my older tunes. A sexy blues song called “Hungry for You”. I was touched, but decided to tease, and avoided playing the song. Because it was both fun and also, I confess, OK, it was a huge ego stroke. I even, at one point, riffed on the intro of the song a bit, creating a smattering of applause, and a wave of anticipation from the group, and then I segued into another song, causing a sweet agonized moan of disappointment. How cool. Well, really, how cruel. OK, but I gave them the song they wanted when they called me back for an encore. Why? They would have killed me after being such a tease. It went great. After the gig, I was talking briefly with some musician friends that had stopped by, but then I disengaged myself from the click, and went to seek out the ladies, mostly to see how they remembered that particular song, and possibly, also, maybe to…

Well…

And, you guessed it, they were gone!

Tease!? Why…?

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8 Answers

Don’t mean to undermine your question at all, @FB, but I would just mention that a number of folks posted thoughts on teasing here a couple of weeks ago.

Jeruba (55828

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Teasing is also just another way of flirting, which it sounds like you were doing with the ladies that requested your song. I think you might have strung the tease too long and missed the boat on making the ladies acquaintances.

chyna (51305

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I think the main reason for teasing is to provoke a response. Especially when it’s done in a flirtatious manner. It gets your blood pumping and it’s one of the easiest ways to get someone’s attention. No one’s going to ignore you when you’re teasing, especially if you have a sly little smirk on your face, as a lot of us tend to have when we tease. You’re left wondering, the entire time, “Are they going to get mad?”, “Are they going to tease me back?”. You don’t know what will come of it and it’s exciting.

It’s the most angelic form of a devilish act. One which we all like to indulge in every now and then…

DrasticDreamer (23996

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You said it yourself teasing is a huge ego stroke. I personally like it because it makes me feel more in control of situations. You give a little, see if the person likes it by the reaction you get, then you pull back a little. It’s fun and yes a little cruel just use it for good and not evil

sjmc1989 (5499

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What? No request for Free Bird?

PandoraBoxx (18031

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I like to tease simply because I am ornery like that. It’s a little harmless fun, and as long as everyone knows the rules, no one is hurt. The women I tease or flirt with are quite consicious of the fact that I am happily married and would NEVER do anything unless my wife was aware of it. We keep no secrets from each other.

Teasing is just one of life’s little pleasures, and it a way to let someone know that you are fond of them, and not only does it boost your own ego, it boosts theirs too.

evelyns_pet_zebra (12923

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It sounds to me as though you were enjoying the power a bit too much in denying these ladies what they wanted. Teasing a bit should be light-hearted, but since you are trying to please your audience, you perhaps should have indulged a bit sooner than later.

jamielynn2328 (4737

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