When it comes to shooting your shot, the worst someone can say is “no,” right? Well, one confused straight man was served rejection with a side of gay allegations, and from his misguided flirting techniques, it’s clear to see why.
The 20-year-old man posted to AmIOverreacting, a subreddit where people ask the internet if they’re — as you might have guessed from the name — overreacting. He shared a screenshot of his text conversation with a woman he was attempting to ask out, only for her to reply, “I thought u were gay??? Is this a joke lol?”
“I don’t know what to say [at this point], I’m so mad,” he wrote. “Is she joking with me? I have never once said I’m gay.”
But looking at the poster’s previous messages, his friend’s assumption was far from offbase. His texting habits, including addressing his friend with “girlll” and “girly,” aren’t exclusive to gay men — but they’re certainly more common among queer guys.
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So, why was an ostensibly straight guy using gay lingo? According to him, he thought it was a cheat code to flirting. In the comments section, he revealed he was following advice from the much-maligned self-help book The 48 Laws of Power. “It says to mirror her so I decided to mirror her to build rapport,” he explained.
When another user said that his mirroring method was manipulative, the poster replied, “I’m trying to learn to speak to women, not manipulate them.”
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“I haven’t been misgendered since. My mother was shamed by a six year old.”
“Why should I feel bad for one of the very, very few advantages we have over straight guys?” mused one commenter on Reddit.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a guy of any sexuality expressing his feminine side. But if you’re using it as a manipulation technique to make a girl like you, a bit of karma feels well deserved.
Though it’s impossible to say if the poster’s story is true or an entertaining lie, either way, it’s gaining traction across social media. After all, the poster did get his would-be-girlfriend to agree to a date — just not a romantic one.
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