Approaching a woman should be simple, right?
“It is easy if the girl looks approachable,” said Chris Lawrence, 21, a third-year business administration student from Sanford. “If you get a good vibe from her then approaching her should be easy.”
Well, if it’s that easy then why are so many guys coming up short?
It could be a bad pick-up line, foul breath, a disrespectful attitude — or the girl may simply be taken or uninterested.
“The girl may be having a bad day or the guy’s game is just not on point,” said Brian Williams, 19, a sophomore health care administration student from Jacksonville. “The game is not for everybody.”
No matter the reasons, the fact remains that success is determined by approach.
“With a bad approach, you won’t get nowhere,” said Andre Lyles, 22, a third-year business administration student from St. Louis.
Lyles prefers to just attract a woman with laughter, using a joke as an ice-breaker.
In “How to Approach a Girl,” author David Kwan said using a joke or a compliment is actually favored by many guys as a way to open up conversation with a woman.
But some students also say that pick-up lines, making noises or blowing your horn should never be used as a means of “hollerin'” at a woman, but still you see it all the time walking to class, on the Set and at the mall.
“Lines are corny and generic,” said Jason Clemons, a 22-year-old fourth-year business administration student from New York.
Clemons said he prefers to personalize his approach with what he likes about the woman, and for him it’s about originality.
Being creative and being yourself may actually get you a lot further than you think.
“The worst thing you can do is lie,” said Ketia Felix, 19, a freshman physical therapy student from Orlando. “Guys need to realize that honesty is the best way to go. The worst thing you can do is lie about what you do or have and then get caught.”
While it is true some girls are interested in the star athlete heading to the pros or the flashy “dope boy” sitting on 26s, others are not.
“Don’t try to be hard or play a role,” said Nina Gilbert, 19, a freshman English student from Chicago.
Adapting the approach to the woman based on the setting, her attire, attitude and the company she keeps may also be also a good idea.
“Girls act different when their friends are around. I try to get them one on one,” Lyles said.
Not assessing all factors before approaching a woman could be potential dating suicide, no matter how good your game is.
“If I look sad or mad don’t approach me,” said Jennifer Triplett, a 20 year-old freshman biology student New York. “But if I’m looking regular then it’s OK.”
Triplett said she prefers a man to talk to her as if they are already friends and said that no matter how attractive a man is, if he is disrespectful he does not have a chance.
“Guys just need to be direct with what they want,” Felix said. “All they have to do is walk up to the girl they are interested in and have a friendly conversation. If the girl is not interested, trust me, you will know.”
Contact Chelsie Kindell at famuanlifestyles@hotmail.com