Phil on what makes a man a man

Theirs was a romance that had everyone thrilled. When Phil Younghusband tweeted Angel Locsin and asked her out, it had the public talking about it for weeks. Now, two years later, Phil and Angel are officially a couple and while there have been rumors of marriage  are they or aren’t they?  half the thrill of this very public romance is that they’ve successfully kept people guessing.

In a recent sit-down, one-on-one interview at the Pangalusian Island Resort in Palawan (where we caught up with him during a Unilever Personal Care-sponsored event), the Filipino-British football star and Rexona endorser talked about what it means to be a man, his type of woman, what it is about women that men love and, of course, what attracted him to Angel in the first place.

What makes a man a man?

“I think it’s confidence. I mean confidence in making decisions. Being assertive and taking initiative, making things happen — I think that’s what makes a man a man.”

What is it about women that men love?

“I think it’s that confidence as well. When a man sees a woman confident with herself, confident with the way she looks, confident in the way she behaves, I think that’s attractive and I think no matter what someone’s appearance or personality is, if she’s confident and she has confidence in the way she expresses herself, I think that’s what men love the most.”

What is it about Angel that you love? What attracted you to her in the first place?

“I think appearances — without sounding too shallow — appearances count a lot. That’s the first attraction. In my case, I saw Angel before I knew her and I was attracted to her beauty and once I got to know her, I found out what a kind, loving, down-to-earth person she is, how genuine she really is and that’s what made me fall even harder. It’s what made me fall in love with her. It was the attraction at first, but then since I got to know her, I just fell in love with who she really is.”

We know you were very close to your mother. What did she always tell you about women?

“I think my mom was really protective of me and James so she didn’t want to see me and James hurt, as long as James and me were happy and okay. But one thing I learned was to make sure she’s the one and at the end of the day, my mom was a good judge of character so if my mom thought the person was okay, and she loved the person, then the person was the right for me.”

What do you wish women knew about men?

“I could write an essay about this (laughs). Maybe sometimes the image of men is not so positive and people think it’s just about one thing, but some men really do love women. There is an image that some people think that men are all about that one thing but my take is, it’s not about that. Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

What is it about women that men can never seem to understand?

“I think the fact that they… (laughs). This is on record, no? I have to be careful, I might lose some fans here (laughs). I don’t know, that’s a tricky one. Okay, I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, but I think that men can never seem to understand why a woman has to be right all the time. They may be right, I’m not saying they’re wrong. I’m saying that men feel they’re correct sometimes but in the end, the women will have the right one, the correct one.”

Career woman or stay-at-home mom?

“There’s no preference. I would probably say career because I like a woman who has goals, has objectives and things she wants to do and I’d like to support her and be a part of that, help her do what she wants to do, and more. Probably someone who has goals, and eventually, in the end, you want her — even myself — to stay at home. But I think at first I want her to achieve her goals, and everything she wants to do first.”

Fashionista or simple dresser?

“Balance. I like a balance. I see a lot of women that dress simply. It’s nice that they also take pride in what they’re wearing when they go to events, things like that. A balance of both. But if I had to pick, I’d prefer them when they’re home and simply dressed.”

One subject you would never discuss with a woman?

“It depends. If it’s the one I love, there’s nothing I wouldn’t discuss with her. So if it’s Angel, I’ll discuss everything with her. If there’s anything to be discussed, she’s gonna be the one who’ll support me and be there for me so I don’t think there’s anything I won’t discuss with the woman I love.”