Cinderella

This is a serious answer. Stop looking for him. Guys are put off if they think that a female is looking for something more than fun in the early stages - by fun I don't mean sex - I mean having fun. Start dating guys to have fun, somewhere along the line you will find the right person. But when you do, don't frighten them away. ----

And here's another serious answer.

First, the main thing isn't to find the world's greatest guy. There's no such thing. One woman's total loser is another woman's dream come true.

So maybe you're just using "Prince Charming" to mean "Mr. Right," but if you really do have some sort of movieland romantic fantasy, the place to start is with a big eraser. Let the castle-in-the-sky notions go (they never include the part about changing the diapers and taking out the garbage). "Mr. Real" is a whole lot more interesting anyway.

So--what's the main thing? To find the greatest guy for you. If you're a cookie-cutter woman, identical to the next gal, same look, same style, same brain, same conversation, then any cookie-cutter guy will do. But if you're not (let's hope you're not), the point is a good match and not a good poster boy.

And--don't be shocked, now--the best way to find that match is to be the person you are, so the guy who really wants YOU can find you and tell you apart from the rest. If you concentrate on attracting guys (how many do you need, anyway? one good one is enough), what you'll be is a woman who concentrates on attracting guys: plenty of surface shine but not much substance at all. Instead you want him to recognize you as Ms. Right, and how's he going to find out you're the right one unless he can see you as you are?

So, of course put your best foot forward. Make yourself look nice, use decent manners, be kind, cultivate your sense of humor, practice making engaging conversation. (Some hints about that are found in the related question linked at the bottom of this answer.) But don't waste your time and his by trying to be something you're not. Your guy will never find you that way.

The best way to be interesting is to be interested. Whatever really turns you on and awakens your passionate interest, whether it's salsa dancing or playing the oboe, surfing or rescuing orphaned birds, learning French or drawing pictures of dragons, your interest makes you come alive and sparkle. That's part of who you are. Think: what kind of woman will your Mr. Right be looking for? You--right? A recognizable you.

One other thought: put yourself in places where your Mr. Right is likely to go. The theatre. Dance clubs. Animal shelters. Church. Little League games. The library, the symphony, a political campaign, the Sierra Club, the hardware store, the feed store. Different places, different guys. Pick a place that aligns with your interests and look for that common ground. And never underestimate the social benefits of volunteer work.

Remember, he has to know you're the one. You can't makehim think so, but you can let him think so.

And in the meantime, it's fine to get to know men who aren't forever-after keepers. You can still have a nice time, learn something about yourself and about what you really want in a relationship, and practice treating a man well, so that when your Mr. Right does come along, he'll stick around.

There are many different versions of Cinderella. One of the most well known was written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (The Grimm Brothers) in the 19th century.
Cinderella is an old folktale that exists in many versions in many cultures. The oldest known version dates back to the first century B.C.

The version we're most familiar with in Western culture and the version used by Disney as the basis of his fanciful adaptation (with mice and so on) is the one written by Charles Perreault in 1667. He used some of the trappings of his own period and place, 17th-century France, as elements in his stories.