The Girls I Like Never Like Me Back
Em is a millennial writer with a special interest in social sciences, dating, and what makes people click (and tick!)
Photo by Katie Drazdauskaite on Unsplash
Rejection is the worst. I promise, I'm not here to lecture your broken heart about the pains of being female, the patriarchy, etc. I've had my own heart smashed in real good on more than one occasion and I've also had the unfortunate task of rejecting perfectly wonderful people.
When dealing with rejection from the girl you like and want to date or pursue a relationship with, pause and remember that you're important, you're valuable, you're loveable and you're worthwhile, even if the person you're attracted to doesn't want to date you.
Got it?
Good.
Now read on to understand why she doesn't like you back and what you can do to move forward.
You Don't Have Chemistry
True, chemistry isn't everything, especially if you're looking for a long-term relationship. But initially? It's kind of a big deal. I once had a good friend interested in me and he hit all of the marks for me: great listener, hard worker, loved his family, had awesome style, kind to everyone, deep thinker, fun to be around.
But holy cow, we had no chemistry and trying to create it with him was like fumbling in the dark for my glasses—awkward and kind of scary. He's a great person, anyone would be lucky to have him (including me), but without a spark—you know, that thing that makes your heart skip two beats when they enter the room—it's hard to pull past the friendship line.
What You Can Do About It
If she's giving you all the feels but continuing to friendzone you even if you've been explicit that you see her in a romantic way, don't get down on yourself. If she keeps saying, "You're great, but you're not my type" then that's most likely the absolute truth. You are great! But you aren't her type and she's lacking a sense of chemistry on her end. The thing is, you're someone's type. Keep lookin' and don't let this setback slow you down for too long.
She's Going Through Something Major
Is she going through something big, like her parent's divorce or a health crisis? This might not be a good time for her to explore her romantic feelings for anyone.
What You Can Do About It
Nothing. If you want to be a good friend then be supportive, be kind, but don't expect anything, especially a relationship out of it. And, I can't stress this enough, don't take advantage of her emotional vulnerability.
Your Personalities Conflict
Now, there's a lot of millennial trends I call bull sh*t on. Astrology? Not for me. Tarot cards? Lol. Nope. But the whole Myers-Briggs personality type thing? I love it. I think it actually makes a lot of sense. Do I think it's the end-all and that you should base all of your romantic relationships on it? Heck no—but I think taking it and finding out your personality type (based on psychology) can be really enriching and give you tons of insight into aspects of your personality you might not even be aware of.
This is how it works:
- You take a Myers-Briggs personality test (there's an official one, but I've taken all of the free ones. I like this one the best simply because the site is easy to navigate).
- Receive your "type" (it will be a combination of your 4 most defining personality traits—mine is INFJ, meaning I'm dominated by Introversion, iNtuition, Feeling and Judging).
- Use your type to get to know yourself. There are resources all over the internet. For introverted personalities like mine, I really like visiting the Introvert Dear blog.
Once you've found out your personality type, you might recognize that it isn't actually in harmony with your love interest's personality type. Maybe you approach conflict in a very feeling way, like the F in my personality type indicates.
When I have a conflict with someone I think about everyone that's involved, how they feel, what my own personal values in the situation are. If I'm having a conflict with someone who approaches things in a more "thinking" (the T in other personality types) way, they may not be focused on personal values at all. Instead, they're looking at the facts, they're handling things in a more analytical way, stomping all over my FEELINGS. How rude! (Not really).
What You Can Do About It
Get to know yourself. Take a personality test, find out what drives you and what makes you tick. Then, stop pining for people who don't share those same traits and instead keep an eye (and heart) out for those who are more like you.
Sure, you may be wild for the girl who wants to single-handedly save mankind with her vegan lifestyle but if you're the dude who's made it his life's passion to captain a BBQ food truck featuring full racks of ribs, how's that really going to play out?
Sure, you may be wild for the girl who wants to single-handedly save mankind with her vegan lifestyle but if you're the dude who's made it his life's passion to captain a BBQ food truck featuring full racks of ribs, how's that really going to play out?
Read More From Pairedlife
You Have Bad Hygiene
I hate to break it to you, but we're strangers here so I'm just going to say it: you might smell bad, and it might be grossing her out. You could have the best personality, insane chemistry, and every interest in common, but if you stink? That's a deal breaker. Does she lean away when you talk to her? Cut hugs short? Take a deep breath as soon as she's out in fresh air?
What You Can Do About It
Make sure you're doing these things every day:
- Shower. Take a shower. Wash your hair, wash well behind your ears (your grandma was right, you gotta get behind those ears), get under your arms, get in all the nooks and crannies and don't forget your feet too. If regular ol' body wash doesn't do the trick for you, go with something that fights bacteria like Dial brand soap.
- Brush your teeth. At least twice a day! Get a whitening toothpaste too, that way your mouth doesn't just smell fresh, it looks fresh too. Floss before bed and get a travel toothbrush you can use to do a quick brushin' after lunch if you're not at home.
- Apply deodorant. Or an antiperspirant and if you're at school or work all day, throw one in your backpack and reapply it on your break. If you struggle with excessive sweating, invest in a clinical grade deodorant that'll offer more protection against sweat stains and odors.
To keep the funk away do this stuff every week:
- Wash your bedding. Bedding is like underwear, you sweat in it. Plus, you drool in it. It needs to be washed and then immediately dried to keep from mildewing.
- Bleach your towels. If you have colored towels use white vinegar when you wash them to clear away any musty smells. If you dry off with a musty smelling towel, you'll smell musty too.
- Keep your clothes clean. Don't wear shirts or underwear more than once without washing them and pants need to go in after every other wear (but if you were sweating in them, wore them to work out or play a sport then wash after every wear).
More tips for not stinking her out:
- Smoking stinks. I don't care what you're smoking, it smells gross on you.
- Chew some minty gum after a garlicky meal. Show me a girl who doesn't love a good tub of fresh-made garlic hummus. Now show me a girl who wants to keep smelling it post-consumption. Eek!
- Wash your pets. Maybe you don't stink at all, maybe your dog (who just barfed up the lasagna she pulled out of the trash yesterday) rubbing all over your pants is the real problem here.
That pup is way cute, but when was the last time he had a bath and when was the last time you found him using your clean clothes pile as a nest?
Photo by S A R A H ✗ S H A R P on Unsplash
She's Interested in Someone Else
This is very simple. You'll know she's interested in someone else if she says "I'm seeing someone" or "I like someone else" or "I have a boyfriend/girlfriend."
What You Can Do About It
Back off. She's in a relationship and it's not with you. If you really like her and you're having trouble handling how unavailable she is, try to distance yourself from her. If she's someone you work with, only interact at work and only when you have to. If it's a friend, tone down the friendship, only hang out in group settings and decline her offer for a friendly ice cream date. Don't torture yourself.
You're a Nice Guy
And not in a good way. You might be a Nice Guy (or Girl) if:
- You purposely do nice things in front of the girl you like just to win her affections, but wouldn't think to do them if she weren't around.
- You think that if someone isn't attracted to you there's something inherently wrong with them.
- You believe that every person your love-interest dates is bad and that she's constantly making bad choices because, well, she's not dating you of course!
- You think that you could be the answer to all of her problems—from the subpar leftovers she's eating for dinner tonight to her complex daddy issues.
Girls don't like Nice Guys.
We like humans who act like humans. Do-gooders who do good to contribute positively to this big spinning sphere we're all trapped on. People who visit their great-grandma and don't feel the need to Instagram it for instant karma. Dudes who drive their little brother to soccer when their mom has to work and don't expect a Son-of-The-Year trophy for it. Chicks who make dinner for their freshly-fired best friend without expecting praise for it. That's the good stuff.
What You Can Do About It
Take a hard look at what motivates you. Is it praise? Acceptance? Using good deeds to manipulate a situation to get the thing you want (i.e. The Girl)? If that's true, you need to change yourself before you can attract the kind of person you're attracted to.
You need to learn to be less self-centered and to be an actual guy (or girl) who's nice, instead of a Nice Guy. If you don't know where to start, ask a close friend that you trust to be honest with you. This friend can not be your mom unless she's a real up-front type of lady.
Remember: no one owes you their affection just because you're kind. You should be kind no matter what.
No one owes you their affection just because you're kind. You should be kind no matter what.
You're Laying it on Too Thick
Sometimes, we like you but you're being a little overwhelming. Here's some signs you might be overwhelming her:
- You always initiate text conversations and never give her the chance to start a convo.
- You embarrass her at work by popping in when she's really busy and then expect her full attention. I actually hate when someone I'm into comes into my place of work. It feels intrusive, especially because staying focused at work is important to me.
- You constantly compliment her. Compliments are wonderful, but like anything delicious, they need to be sprinkled on, not dumped by the spoonful.
What You Can Do About It
Chill! Are you doing things 100% all of the time? Take three steps back. Wait for her to text you. Compliment her when it's real and genuine and make sure compliments highlight aspects of her personality that you appreciate or accomplishments she's worked hard for (like a contest she just placed in or a class she passed with an awesome grade). Commenting on her booty or eyes is just...too much.
You Creep Her Out
Sometimes compliments cross the line to totally freaking creepy. You might be creepy to her if:
- You're always making comments about her body.
- You give way too much information about your body.
- You send mirror selfies.
- You're always showing up wherever she is, even if no one invited you.
- You use asterisks to communicate *Looks back and forth nervously...*
- You ask her overtly personal questions about things she's never freely spoken about like past relationships, sexual preferences, etc. Things you would only talk about with someone you're actually intimate (in a real relationship) with.
What You Can Do About It
Take some time to study up on what women find creepy (and why), and then stop doing those things.
This article is a good start.
You're Conceited or Condescending
You know what I mean—you literally think you're God's Gift to Women. You believe you're the smartest, most handsome, most successful being to grace her with your presence.
What You Can Do About It
See a therapist.
Do you keep taking her out as "just a friend" when you actually mean to ask her on a date? Be honest and decisive about how you feel about her—she's not a mind reader for crying out loud!
Photo by Anita Jankovic on Unsplash
She Doesn't Even Know You Like Her
One time, I had a guy head over heels for me. And I was head over heels for him. And I didn't find this out about him until I was seeing someone else. Maybe she doesn't even know you like her. Did you tell her how you feel?
What You Can Do About It
Tell her how you feel, explicitly. Say "I like you as more than a friend, I want to take you on a date," then see where things go.
How can you truly tell if a girl doesn't like you though? What if she's just playing?
Relationship expert Courtney Ryan does a fantastic job of explaining how to read body language, text style and more in her video the 5 Signs She Doesn't Like You. I've watched this video and can attest that Courtney is spot on. If the girl you're crushing on exhibits these behaviors it's pretty definite that she doesn't like you back.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2019 Em Clark
Em Clark (author) on April 30, 2019:
Dashing - this is sound advice/commentary! Thanks for taking the time to write it. I think it definitely adds more perspective to the dilemma.
dashingscorpio from Chicago on April 16, 2019:
In a world with over 7 Billion people rejection just means: Next!
"Never love anyone who treats you like you're ordinary."
- Oscar Wilde
dashingscorpio from Chicago on April 16, 2019:
Sound advice.
In the case where you were over hills into the guy odds are (you) never told him how you felt either. This is fairly common with young people because they fear rejection so much they want to know in advance if someone else likes them before approaching.
It's not uncommon for those in Jr. high or high school to have a friend act as a "scout" to find out if a boy or girl "likes them".
Another common mistake young people make in their attempt to avoid rejection is they avoid to commit to {romantic intentions}.
Instead of proposing going on an actual date they instead suggest they "hang out" which sounds (neutral or platonic) in nature. They hope this strategy will cause the other person to say "yes" .
Simply put it's a cowardly approach to dating. It also increases the odds of someone falling into the "friend zone" trap.
Pretending to be "friends" while having a (secret agenda) is a self torture exercise. You end up hearing about all their dating adventures hoping one day they will see (you) as an option. Should you finally reveal your feelings they may feel betrayed.
No one wants a "fake friend". There is an upside to rejection.
Rejection saves you time and sometimes money. The sooner you know where you stand the less pain there really is because you're not as "emotionally invested" early on.
"Girls don't like Nice Guys. They like humans who act like humans."
"No one owes you their affection just because you're kind."
Those are very true statements. I believe so called "nice guys" are confused about what they (hear) women {claim they want} in a man and what type of (men) they usually see women end up with.
Almost everyone has heard: "Nice guys finish last."
Have you ever heard of the LONELY: "bad boy", "jerk/a-hole", "player", "narcissist", or "Type-A Alpha male"? No!
Do you think that is a coincidence? NO!
You could stick a woman in a room with five guys and have four of them drop to their knees extending their heart towards her while the 5th guy sits in a corner sipping a cocktail acting as if she doesn't exist. That will be "the guy" she wants to get to know!!!
He's a mystery, a challenge, a puzzle to figure out, and if she knows other women like him she is prepared to compete for his attention.
Women are attracted to guys who are confident, self-assured, have some "swagger" or possibly a little borderline arrogance.
Contrary to the "nice guys" beliefs most women are {not comfortable} being put up on a pedestal or being treated like a princess!
Their own parents, siblings, & best friends don't treat them like that! Ultimately everyone wants to (feel comfortable) in a relationship. Behavior they're not accustom to is either creepy or a turn off. Therefore "nice guys" need to drop the "puppy dog eye" routine and "milk toast" soft peddling personality. It's not sexy!
Another problem many men have is they chase after women who are "out of their league". Lets face it if you look like Danny DeVito odds are you're not going to attract Charlize Theron or Gigi Hadid.
There are two exceptions to this which are you're (rich) and she's a "gold digger" or she has had heart broken over and over again by dashingly handsome "knights" and "princes" which has caused her to date someone she doesn't consider to be (her) type for a change.
Last but least I would say keep things in perspective. Everyone rejects people and also gets rejected. That's life!
In order for (her/him) to have been "the one" (she/him) would have had to see (you) as being "the one". At the very least a "soulmate" is someone who actually wants to be with you! (And vice versa)
The Girls I Like Never Like Me Back
Source: https://pairedlife.com/dating/Heres-Why-She-Doesnt-Like-You-Back