It's my theory that when a guy meets you, he pretty much straight awayputs you into one of three categories.

1. The friend: The girl he'll chat to all night and ring up whenever he's bored, but there is no sexual chemistry. You're a mate and that's it.

2. The girlfriend: In his eyes, you are the kind of girl he would like to call his girlfriend, take home to meet his mum, and maybe end up with forever.

3. The wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am: The sexy chick he can't keep his eyes and hands off. You could be a one-night stand or an ongoing "buddy," but he doesn't see anything more developing.

In discussing this theory with a male friend of mine, he asked: "Don't girls do the same thing?"

We probably do, but I don't think many of us have an actual category three.

My next question is: once you're put into a category, can you switch to another category?

Can you meet a guy, maybe have a one-night stand and a sexual fling with him, and then move from category three to category two? Or is it the case that once you're in that category, you're stuck there forever?

Can a category-one friend turn into a category-two partner? If you didn't feel

that [sexual] spark to begin with, can it develop later on? Or can that only happen if there was always a little spark there, even if it's just one you never acknowledged or thought about before?

And what if you find yourself constantly being put into a category you're not happy with?

Is there something we can do to change the way guys see us?

One of my friends always finds herself in category one: the friend. She is great, gorgeous, intelligent, but guys just want to be her mate.

Then there's the friend who is always being put in category three constantly. She is sexy, outgoing and fun.

So, do these girls need to change their personalities to make it into category two?

Do they need to change what they are wearing or how they behave? Or are there guys out there for both of them that just haven't come along yet,

who will will see them as their category two?

While I am confident that categories exist, I'm just not sure how many and what types are out there.

Is it a good idea to slot people into categories?

Is it that easy to measure human emotions?

Surely we can break patterns. There must be exceptions to the rule.

-JD