Battle of the sexes

This archived article was written by: Emily Williams

1. The outrageous compliment. This is the first mistake that guys make. Yes, females like to be flattered, but enough is enough. If a guy starts texting a female sonnets about how the color of her eyes make his heart soar, that is a major turn off. Over complimenting makes a guy sound insincere, and like he only notices a woman’s physical attributes. A female can only be called beautiful so many times before it loses its meaning. Ladies will appreciate it much more if a guy gets to know her and then gives specific compliments that really count.
2. The facebook creep. We all do it; facebook stalking is a natural part of the dating process for this generation. A huge turn off is to click on some guys profile and see a smorgasbord of pictures of a guy with a million other girls. If a guy has a lot of pictures with ex-girlfriends or just a lot of random girls, it definitely gives the wrong impression. It is best if your profile describes you as person, not as a player.
3. Fishing for compliments. You know what I am talking about. When your date keeps bashing on himself expecting you to rebut his negative comments with compliments. It is just like pulling the “I’m so fat” card that females so often use to get their friends to tell them that they aren’t fat. Women hate it when women do it, and they definitely hate it when guys do it. Ladies are attracted to confident guys, and bashing on oneself to get compliments does not show confidence, in fact, it instantly emasculates a man.
4. Poor hygiene. This one may seem like a no brainer, but some guys just have no brains to figure it out. Females can tell when you do not shower. We can tell if you have been wearing the same shirt for a week, we notice when you are not wearing socks, and we can definitely tell if you have not brushed your teeth. It is also important to groom facial hair; no girl likes a neck beard. Also, avoid, at all costs, having long, gross fingernails. If a guy is a mechanic or welder and works hard with his hands, a little grime under short fingernails is attractive, but when fingernails are long and unkempt, a guy instantly loses at least three attractiveness points.
5. The pretty boy. On the same subject as turn off number four, personal hygiene can be taken too far. A female doesn’t want a guy who spends more time in front of a mirror than she does. There is a fine line between looking nice and looking effeminate. Fake baking or spray tans, shaving arms and legs, tweezing eyebrows, and bleaching hair can all make a guy seem like too much of a pretty boy. Women can recognize that there are certain reasons for some of these things, maybe there is a unibrow, or a skin condition, or the guy is a hairy mammoth man. If there are extenuating circumstances, it’s just important to do these things with subtlety. Ladies, don’t want to notice what you’ve done to make yourself attractive, and they definitely want to see some of that gruff masculinity preserved in your appearance.
6. The tickle attack. Tickling can be considered major flirting, but it can also be a major turn off. Some guys think that tickling is the perfect way to break the ice. It isn’t. Tickling is only okay once the female feels comfortable enough for a guy to touch her. Having a guy’s fingers up your armpits is not a turn on. Not to mention the inevitable awkward boob graze that tickling leads to. When a woman laughs while she is tickled, it is because she cannot help it, not necessarily because she is having a good time. Tickling at the wrong time in a relationship can make a female feel attacked because she can’t fight back when she wants it to stop. Basically, the rule of thumb is when a woman says stop, seriously, stop.
7. The big shot. Ladies like an athletic looking man. I haven’t met a woman yet who would complain if their guy had a six-pack. However, the second that a guy starts bragging about the amount of time he spends at the gym, all his hard work goes from a turn on, to a turn off. No one wants to hear about how much you work out, or how many pounds you can curl or press or whatever. It is okay to like the way you look, but bragging about how much you work-out just makes you sound like a big shot who is begging for attention.
8. The mother hater. It is something that must be built into the DNA of all women. When a guy insults his mother, that is a deal breaker. It is so important for a guy to respect his mother. Of course, momma’s boys are not attractive either. A delicate balance must be attained. A man should be independent, yet grateful for everything his mother has done for him. Somehow the female mind makes the correlation between a disrespectful and ungrateful son, and a disrespectful and ungrateful boyfriend.
9. The unplanned date. Nearly every female has experienced the frustration of going on a completely unplanned date. Ladies understand that guys aren’t solely responsible for all courtship interactions, but if a guy asks a gal on a date, the least he can do is make a plan. The awkward silences on a first date are magnified to the hundredth degree when there is no activity that provides conversation. Especially on a first date, it is a mistake to think that everything will work out if the two of you “just chill.” If you care at all about impressing a female, put forth some effort to make your date impressive.
10. Are you on your period? This question is a capitol offense to every female on the face of the planet. Guys, this is a dangerous question under any circumstance. No good can ever come out of this question. If they are having their time of the month, they will be upset because a women’s emotions are still valid, even when they are on their period. If they are not on their period, you are pretty much calling them a moody, crazy person by accusing them of being on it. A woman’s menstruation is personal information that should not become an issue in any discussion or argument. Guys, watch yourself, because once you mess up on this one, there isn’t much you can do to reconcile the situation.