The following took place at an all-female apartment.
The identities of those involved have been changed for their own protection.
_Ben:_ Do you guys mind if I ask you a few questions about what you don’t like about guys? Because, from my point of view, it seems like girls are always complaining about men.
_Jennifer:_ I don’t think we are always complaining; they just do certain things that can get annoying.
_Haley:_ Yeah. I don’t hate men or anything. I just don’t understand why they do certain things.
_Katie:_ I don’t understand why they can’t dress themselves. There are, like, four articles of men’s clothing. It is very easy for them to look nice, but they still mismatch colors and choose wrong sized shirts.
_Haley:_ Exactly! Also, a t-shirt and gym shorts are not an outfit. I’m sure it is comfortable, but why would you think you are going to impress anyone with that? That is what a 4-year-old wears.
_Jennifer:_ Also please don’t wear a bro-tank on a date. One time, a guy came to pick me up for a date in a tank top and jeans. I spent a good hour getting ready, and it looked like he just got done mowing his yard.
_Haley:_ Well, I want guys to look nice, but I don’t really want them to spend more time getting ready than I do.
_Katie:_ Right? His hair shouldn’t have more product in it than mine.
_Jennifer:_ Also, if you can’t grow facial hair, then don’t grow facial hair!
_Haley:_ Oh-my-gosh-I-know. It seriously looks like something died on some of their faces.
_Katie:_ Or like they are some sort of sexual predator.
_Jennifer:_ Like, can you not see how you look? That crustache does not look good on you.
_Katie:_ And why are they so bad at texting?
_Haley/Jennifer:_ They are so bad at texting!
_Katie:_ Guys are either always texting you paragraphs, or texting you one word every four hours. There is no middle ground.
_Haley:_ Are they always multitasking when they are texting? And they only have time for two-word responses? If you are busy playing video games, then don’t text me.
_Jennifer:_ But I cannot stand it when a guy is an overly attached texter. It’s like, “I’m at work. Can I get some space?”
_Haley:_ Also, I hate the small talk they try to make.
_Katie:_ Seriously, it is OK not to talk if you don’t have anything to say.
_Katie:_ But no matter how much they text you, they will still never really open up to you. They are, like, emotionally stunted.
_Jennifer:_ And they have no common sense.
_Katie:_ Absolutely none. That is a dangerous combination.
I am going to stop at this point. I only ended up asking the one question for the entire interview. That one question got two hours’ worth of responses.
Men, women have a lot to say about us, but there was an overarching theme: When a guy isn’t genuine, it leads to problems.
When you are talking to girls, take a real interest in their lives; don’t try and fast track a relationship; try to open up to them; let yourself be vulnerable. But bottom line, just be you out there — unless being yourself involves wearing a bro tank.