# Guys' opinions on getting compliments from strange women? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 11, 2009, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051 "2009-03-11T07:22:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051/41 "2009-03-12T02:06:22Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > \ I love a man who smells like apple cider! šŸ™‚ šŸ˜ƒ > [@Sauron](#): > > Frankly, Iā€™d like that. It beats the heck out of what Iā€™m doing now, which is complimenting _myself_ out of the blue. Sometimes, as Iā€™m standing in line at McDonaldā€™s, for example, Iā€™ll say, ā€œI might just be the most attractive man Iā€™ve seen all week!ā€ in a very complimentary voice. > > That seems to unsettle people, for some reason. This sounds like an extremely interesting thing to do and I think Iā€™ll have to try it the next time Iā€™m in a city where I donā€™t know anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051/42 "2009-03-12T02:49:51Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > Sometimes, as Iā€™m standing in line at McDonaldā€™s, for example, Iā€™ll say, ā€œI might just be the most attractive man Iā€™ve seen all week!ā€ in a very complimentary voice. > > That seems to unsettle people, for some reason. Once in a while, if Iā€™m in the mood, and someone issues the standard greeting (how ya doin?), Iā€™ll tell them that today is good, but I canā€™t wait til tomorrow. They ask why, and Iā€™ll tell them because I get better looking every day. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051/43 "2009-03-12T02:51:27Z")
I love it, and the stranger the better. And the proper response is: ā€œYes, yes you may have your way with me.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051/44 "2009-03-12T03:55:36Z")
I love compliments from strange women. Next time, just blurt it out. Whatā€™s the worst that could happen? ---
**Author:** ![raindrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/74df32/32.png) [@raindrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindrop)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051/45 "2009-03-12T18:24:42Z")
**DocCathode** , Iā€™m sure thatā€™s exactly what lots of men think who compliment me. But many of them who think ā€œwhatā€™s the worst that could happen?ā€ also go too far, and really shouldnā€™t indulge themselves at my expense. So I probably hesitate because of what strange men have blurted out to me when they thought I was attractive. Not always, but a lot of the time their compliments have been immediately followed by a bold sexual proposition. Going from zero to sex in 3 seconds with random strangers is simply not my idea of fun. And I donā€™t want to be perceived that way if I compliment a strange guy. Also, when Iā€™m with my girlfriends and we discuss whether a guy is handsome, weā€™re just talking about whether he is handsome, not talking about sex. But when Iā€™m with my guyfriends and casually mention that a guy is handsome they all immediately assume Iā€™m talking about sex. So itā€™s that potential for misinterpretation that bothers me the most. But still, I do like the idea of giving out more random compliments, and stroking a few random egos. I often admire men at a distance without making it known. Itā€™s easy to imagine that some of them would appreciate a compliment and are worth the risk to speak aloud about it. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051/46 "2009-03-12T18:45:32Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > My wife swears that women flirt with me semi-regularly, and Iā€™m just too clueless to realize it. Me, too. My wife and daughter both tell me, ā€œthat woman was coming on to you,ā€ and I didnā€™t even notice. Based on feedback from old friends, this goes all the way back to high school. ---
**Author:** ![Blaster\_Master](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cab0a1/32.png) [@Blaster\_Master](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blaster_Master)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051/47 "2009-03-12T19:04:41Z")
I think it really depends on how it comes across. Funnily enough, I seem to get these sorts of comments a lot more often from older women and only occassionally from women around my age. When a 40+ woman gives me a compliment, I take it as an honest one and not as a flirty or anything, and thatā€™s probably WHY I notice it a lot more from older women since, I figure, they arenā€™t flirting and younger ones would probably just flirt or be coy instead. Either way, not creepy at all. It would be at least a little creepy if it was said very loudly or, as seems to happen in my case some of the time, touching is involved. Especially when I wore my hair down more often (I have long curly hair), Iā€™d occassionally have a strange woman stroke or tug on my hair, and then Iā€™d turn around to see what it was and sheā€™d compliment me. Iā€™ve also had strange women grab my arm or shoulder and then comment on how she wanted to touch my muscles or something. Personally, it doesnā€™t really bother me that much except that, were I to do the same thing, Iā€™d expect a red handprint across my face, and my response is normally more that Iā€™m caught off-guard than because Iā€™m creeped out, but I imagine thatā€™s probably not true for everyone. So, sure, generally no problem with saying anything, and Iā€™d say most guys would welcome it, as long as itā€™s more along the lines of ā€œyouā€™re very handsomeā€ and not ā€œOMG UR HOT!ā€ In fact, I wish casual, genuine compliments were more common in our society. ---
**Author:** ![soulburnz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@soulburnz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulburnz)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051/48 "2009-03-12T19:40:15Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > Iā€™ve had several strange women tell me that I have very nice skin. > > Not really sure what this means. I canā€™t believe no one has mentioned the ā€œspoojeā€ nice skin connection hereā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051/49 "2009-03-12T20:31:37Z")
Iā€™d personally think it was a well veiled insult, but I have self esteem issues so YMWV. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051/50 "2009-03-12T23:03:05Z")
> [@InvisibleWombat](#): > > Me, too. My wife and daughter both tell me, ā€œthat woman was coming on to you,ā€ and I didnā€™t even notice. Based on feedback from old friends, this goes all the way back to high school. My wife says the same thing, but she quite inexplicably thinks Iā€™m a hottie, I always write it off as her projection on others. However, she would find it a total turn-on if I told her some random woman (especially an attractive one) came up to me out-of-the-blue and gave me a compliment. Just so long as there are no phone numbers exchangedā€¦ šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![raindrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/74df32/32.png) [@raindrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindrop)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2009, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051/51 "2009-03-14T04:54:46Z")
You guys are still hilarlious. LOL I can totally understand how men could miss that women are flirting with them because I also know lots of men like that. A while back I hung out with a friend (22yo) who had at least a dozen women flirting with him. It was so easy for me to detect them but he missed all of them. He was convinced he was unattractive and that no female wanted him. OTOH Iā€™ve also encountered men who think every mildly polite gesture from a woman is an indication that sheā€™s got the hots for him. They cannot comprehend the idea that they just arenā€™t desirable and think any woman who says ā€œnoā€ to them is a lesbian. Idiots. And to **Blaster Master** , I too have a very serious weakness for long curly hairā€¦ and muscles, ahhh. But I wouldnā€™t dare touch, (at least not without permission, hehe). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-opinions-on-getting-compliments-from-strange-women/489051.md?page=2)