PITTSBURGH -- How many women would love to throw out a line that can mesmerize a man, but don't quite know how to do it?

WTAE Channel 4 Action News anchor Sally Wiggin said a recently published book called "Simply Irresistible" is part self-help, part history -- and a lot funny. It talks about how women can unleash their inner "siren."

The author, Ellen T. White, used to write for Pittsburgh Magazine. Now, she works as managing editor for the New York Public Library.

"You should know what you are, and you should use it. You should use your femininity," White said. "I think, for years now, people have been pushing it away, because they think, 'Oh, I am a feminist,' and that is not the right way to play the game."

White said it's all about showing power through seduction.

"I would say tapping into their femininity would make them more powerful in the workplace and at home, more powerful everywhere," she said. "So, is it anti-feminist? It is not, because a lot of the women in the book are incredibly powerful."

They range from Cleopatra to Queen Elizabeth I to Jackie Kennedy to Pamela Harriman, and the great movie sirens of today, like Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie.

But White said beauty alone is not how she chose her sirens.

"It helps, but it is not about being beautiful at all," she said. "It is about force of personality and confidence."

She talked about the stories of Catherine the Great's insatiable sexual appetites, and women from whom lessons could be learned.

"I thought it was good to have a lesson about being funny -- Carole Lombard, who attracted all the men she attracted with humor," White said.

"Mae West is 'talk dirty.' That is her lesson, though she was able to do it without actually talking dirty -- through innuendo," White said.

White has five siren archetypes: goddess, sex kitten, competitor, companion and mother.

"They come out of who you are as a person," she said. "If you're a domestic, you are probably a mother siren. If you're elusive and a quiet person, you might be more of a goddess."

Competitors are risk-takers and often tomboys, she said, while companions are the ultimate friends and sex kittens are ultra-feminine and touchy-feely.

Once a woman figures out her archetype, how does she mesmerize men?

The first two answers are pretty obvious: Have confidence in your allure, and embrace life.

Third: Celebrate men. White said she's put off by e-mails from women who bash them.

"I hate getting these things," she said. "Men are people, too. Women are always saying how wonderful we are, and how good. Well, men are wonderful, and we are all in this boat together."

And what do men find seductive? It's a simple equation for White.

"People usually love people who love them, so if you love them, they are going to love you back," she said.

Here are some more of her siren secrets:

Be a bit mysterious.

Cook for him.

Listen.

Show a little skin.

Be funny and adventurous.

Use his name.

Find a signature scent.

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