Listen to the audio version of this post here.
Got rizz?
You should have been with me in Frankenmuth, MI. I was sitting on a bench along a sidewalk teeming with tourists, waiting for my friends to finish shopping. Happily occupied with people-watching. And smiling at those passing people.
It was an experiment. If I don’t devote every single spare minute to scrolling, I’ve found, life (and vacations!) can be more interesting. The question of the moment: what happens when I smile at these stony faces strolling along in front of me?
Mostly, nothing.
It surprised me, how few people returned my silent greeting. I’d give them a wide grin and they’d … keep right on walking. Sometimes looking away. Or scrolling themselves. Or scolding their kids. Or tugging their dog’s leash. Or … anything but meeting my eyes and smiling.
Maybe they were tired. Or cranky. Or hungry. Or they just had no interest in that silly woman sitting on a bench smiling at them. One thing for sure. They didn’t have rizz.
I’ve been keeping an eye out for rizz for a few weeks now.
It came up in all the coverage of the New York mayor’s race, and Zohran Mamdani’s surprising success.
He beat all those other candidates, including former Governor Andrew Cuomo, because of the youth vote. Or his relentless focus on affordability. Or the flaws of his opponents. Or because of his personality.
Or, as one New York musician/comedian/influencer put it, “You have to have impeccable rizz—and not everybody has that.”
Rizz? That was new to me. But then I seem to be way behind the times. Oxford University Press made “rizz” their Word of the Year back in 2023.
Rizz: slang for “style, charm or attractiveness,” or “the ability to attract a romantic or sexual partner.” Rizz: short for “charisma.”
Whatever you think about his policy views, you have to admit Mamdani has charisma, in spades. And that clearly helped him, with young voters in particular.
There was so much on social media from Mamdani and about him, The New York Times says he, “was not just a politician. He was a vibe. He was a meme.”
So, this rizz. Do you have it?
And if we don’t have it naturally, how do we get it? Because there’s no denying, rizz can be a big boost in business as well as politics. And, it’s worth mentioning, in romance too, although that’s a little outside my area of expertise …
Seems to me the main component of charisma is energy. You’ve heard me say this before, of course. To connect with an audience, big or small, in person or online, energy is essential. Before they hear your words, certainly before they process what you say, they pick up on your energy. And they respond to that.
If we show up as flat, or lethargic, or just kind of blah … we have a hard time connecting, With anyone. Part of Mamdani’s appeal is his high energy approach to, well, to just about everything.
And then there’s that smile.
A political content creator told the NYT “Mr. Mamdani’s appeal, even to people in other states, who can’t vote for him, is a result of the ear-to-ear smiling positivity emanating from his videos.”
It may or may not be an umbrella, but a smile is definitely a way to come across with a warmth and energy that most people find magnetic. There’s a time to be serious, for sure, but there’s just no doubt that people are drawn to someone who smiles readily.
We don’t all have Mamdani’s natural, wide, grin. I’m beginning to think my own smile might need a little work, after all those Frankenmuthers failed to beam back at me.
Maybe you have doubts about your smile too? Especially if you’re a woman, you may worry that your lips are too thin. Or too full. Or uneven. Or…well, most of us have plenty of experience with doubts about our appearance. Best if we can outgrow that sooner rather than later.
But whatever our smile looks like, charisma-wise, we’re better off letting people see it more often than not.
And eye contact is definitely an element of charisma.
All those campaign videos! Mamdani was looking straight through the camera, talking to his potential voters, and the rest of us too.
Whether we’re talking with people in person or through the magic of social media platforms, creating that direct connection with our audience lets them feel our energy.
And that’s rizz.
