Guys are a pretty easygoing bunch. For the most part, they don’t really take themselves too seriously, and can let even the worst of insults roll right off their backs. So it makes sense that they could probably handle just about anything thrown their way, right? Not so. There are some things that we, the fairer sex, have a history of saying that really rub men the wrong way. Here are the ten things you’re better off never saying to a guy (and why):
1. “Nothing’s wrong, I’m fine.”
If he has to ask, it probably means something’s bothering you and the evidence is clearly all over your face. Whatever it is, he’s making the effort to ask, so why not just tell him. Men aren’t mind readers, and they can’t exactly help fix something if they don’t know what the problem is.
2. “You’re going to wear THAT?”
While most guys are perfectly happy walking around in mismatched socks and probably think Lagerfeld is some kind of beer, dissing his style, or lack thereof, is probably not the best way to help him out. If he insists on going out to dinner in a wrinkly shirt he dug out of the hamper, instead of yelling at him, suggest that dress shirt he has that really brings out his eyes. Here, subtlety is key.
3. “Awww, you’re so cute!”
Most men hate being called “cute.” To them, cute is restricted to babies, puppies and teddy bears—all of which are not very manly. If you want to compliment him, help keep his ego in tact and try to leave the whole “cutesy” business out of it.
4. “Does this make me look fat?”
This is just unfair. If YOU think it makes you look fat, it won’t really matter what he says. If he disagrees with you, you’ll say he’s lying, or worse yet, he might even say something like, “Yeah, you’re right, you do look kind of chunky in that.” He can’t win either way, so don’t put him in that situation.
5. “Here, just let me do it.”
This basically translates to: “You’re too much of an idiot to do this, so I’ll have take care of it on my own.”—which is pretty emasculating, not to mention kind of rude. Don’t talk down to a guy, or act like he’s a five-year-old. You wouldn’t appreciate it, so why should he?
6. “Do you think she’s pretty?”
Talk about a loaded question, and do you REALLY want to know the answer? This is another case of putting a guy in an awkward spot. If she is good-looking, and he says, “No,” you’ll think he’s lying to you, and if he admits that she’s hot, your feelings will be hurt. So it’s probably better to just leave this one alone.
7. “You’re like a brother to me.”
No one likes being friend-zoned, but basically putting a guy in sibling status, which more or less tells him that he has zero chance with you, is just plain mean, and a little on the weird side. (Especially if you’re already dating the guy, or want to.)
8. “But my ex used to . . .”
Never, ever, EVER compare the guy you’re currently seeing, or crushing on, to your ex. Do you want to hear all about how amazing and gorgeous the last girl he dated was? Exactly. So keep the details of your past relationships to yourself.
9. “Hold my purse for a second?”
First of all, we all know it’s going to be longer than a second. Most guys are happy to help a girl out. They’ll open doors for us, give us their jackets on cold nights and even go on a late night tampon run, but they should really draw the line at holding our handbags. It just looks, well, wrong, and it’s clear by the look on his face and the awkward way he holds it that he definitely hates it.
10. “We need to talk.”
These are the scariest four words you can ever utter to a guy, outside of maybe, in the wrong situation, “I think I’m pregnant.” We all know that whatever comes after those four words is bound to be bad news. So, instead of freaking him out, try to give him a few details, so he’s not sweating all day over some cryptic text.
