Escalation can refer to verbally or physically.

So telling her that she's hot. Playing with her hair. Some sort of roleplay where you're a couple. etc etc

Basically, I often have interactions with girls where I open, we laugh a little, I touch her on the arm etc, I tease her when the opportunity arises, but I can never take it to that 'next' level. I don't feel that she's 'into me'

I know people always say ''Just keep physically escalating up the DiAngelo ladder', but it kind of feels very strange in practical terms.

Like, i'm talking too a girl about her family, and when I tease her or to make a point, I touch her arm. That's fine.

I need to make the touch more sexual now, and so as we are talking about alcohol now, I touch her leg instead of her arm now? Sort of out of nowhere, or to emphasise a point?

And now we are talking about her job and i'm supposed to start brushing her abdomen etc. It feels like it'd be odd and she'd think it was odd as well?! Like ''So what made you get into that line of work?'' stroke her stomach or play with her hair

I guess it wouldn't seem that odd if I was getting clear IOI's, but without them, I imagine this this would just be creepy?

What am I missing?

Is it about verbals? Something i'm not saying that I should be during conversation?