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If and Why nice guys finish last.

June 18, 2010

A how-to-pick-two-girls-up story

June 18, 2010

Crowd verdict on the “nice guys” debate

June 18, 2010

See, that’s what this little site is meant to do…

Awesome comment and commentary from the crowd on the “nice guys” debate. I read through, picked apart, and assembled a summary of what we’re all saying on the topic. The headline: yes, nice guys can tend to finish last, but we need to be careful about what we mean by “nice guy” and what specifically about the personality type (if you will) is unattractive or confusing to the female set. Here were your thoughts, and below them are mine.

Why (you think) nice guys finish last:

My theory about the way our attraction works is that if a guy or girl is too nice, it makes them seem like they have very little experience with the opposite sex and the world. When I meet a girl who’s too agreeable, I think to myself, “This girl’s never failed or struggled or truly been hurt. I can’t really relate to her.”
What about the thought that women want to feel special? A nice guy is nice to everyone, whereas to win an “edgy” guy’s affection is a real accomplishment and something that he is not giving to every person who passes by.
The big thing i have noticed with nice guys is that they lack the backbone to make a move. I’m sorry if i am sitting on your couch drinking a beer and you have the urge to kiss me- do it. Otherwise, i’m going to assume you don’t have the balls to date me.
Not my best quality, but the truth that I’ve realized over the years. I need a bit of a challenge from my guy or I’ll get bored. This is not to say I want an asshole who’s mean, just someone who says “no” once in a while and tells me when I’m being selfish/bratty/unreasonable. I need someone to push back (but in a nice way).
You don’t really know how to flirt with me, you only know how to be my friend. Which is fine as long as we’re talking football and movies, but doesn’t make me go, hmmm, I would like to kiss you now. Or I would like you to kiss me now. Sexual tension is non-negotiable.
actually have a friend, who is a optimal “nice guy”, but I have no attraction to him at all. A girl would be lucky to have him, but I just can’t. Not edgy enough for me. It’s a double edged sword, I think us ladies just don’t really know what we want.
Speaking as a “nice guy” and from past relationships the things that have killed the potential for a relationship and consequently allowed for a relationship to happen was WORRY…..I have to say that crying about how “nice” you are is going to get you nowhere. Cause it sure as hell aint’ getting me anywhere.
I don’t date ‘nice’ guys, but I only date ‘good’ guys. That means he can be counted on, is honest, and is decent and kind. He doesn’t leave me wondering where I stand with him- but if a guy starts pulling out all the stops before he really knows me I tend to think it has more to do with his need to ‘catch’ me than a genuine interest.

It’s not about just being a nice guy:

Nice guys who have a tendency to complain about finishing last need to remember that 1) not all girls want nice guys in the first place, but more importantly 2) you are not the only nice guy out there- in truth there are plenty of guys who aren’t only nice, but probably more confident, interesting, attractive, etc. (And it’s no coincidence that you will rarely hear those guys complain about their niceness being held against them).

Re-defining “nice”:
I think sometimes dating lingo mis-defines “nice.” I have been on dates with a few self-proclaimed nice guys who were, in fact, nice guys, but nonetheless could be described as “too nice” in dating parlance because they were too clingy, and somehow in dating parlance, clingy guys = nice guys. Think about it – if a girl is clingy, she’s neurotic – if a guy engages in clingy behavior (calling all the time, wanting to spend every moment together, dropping the rest of his life for a girl), he’s considered “nice.” Just like I don’t want a bad boy, I also don’t want a clingy guy.
I think the issue at hand is that “nice” is actually a code word. For me, in my group of friends, “nice” is code for “boring.” Because perhaps someone is kind, perhaps they’re generous, or selfless, or dedicated to some interesting charity, but if you’re reaching for the word “nice” to describe that person, chances are it’s because none of those qualities rise to the surface to distinguish themselves because that person is actually boring.

And my response to those non-rhetorial questions:

“Jessie, do you want a guy who doesn’t always jump at the chance to get dinner because you associate that with having your own mind/personality/strength? Do you want a strong male figure who exerts his own personality while also accepting yours? The former who “jumps” at your beck and call seems a bit too easily influenced?”
Yes – I want all of the above, of course. But in terms of why “nice” isn’t quite my type, I think it has more to do with the strength, confidence, and forwardness of a guy. I agree that the “nice guy” stereotype may represent a lack of strong backbone, a easy-going-ness that won’t mesh with a girl like me, and even that issue of him not treating me in any distinguishing way beyond how he treats everyone else.
I want to be with someone “nice” – everyone should – but if that’s the primary way a person would describe this guy – “he’s a really nice guy” or “he’s such a nice guy” – that doesn’t do it for me. Maybe (probably…) that’s because at the end of the day, I’m nice in many many ways, but I’m not – at my core – a “nice girl.”

4 comments

  1. I appreciate the fact that some of the readers/participants dissected their definition of “nice”, as you certainly can’t put all nice guys into one bucket.

    What’s hilarious to me is that there are a whole slew of women out there that say they want a nice guy, but instead choose the opposite. Only to find themselves seriously dating or getting married to a guy that’s actually not nearly as good for them (or to them) as one of the nice guys that they likely passed up earlier in life.

    The advantage that a “bad” guy has is that when he does something “nice”, it seems that much nicer because he’s a dick half of the time. It becomes a much bigger deal if you get that seldom-niceness out of a seemingly douchey guy than if someone treats you with respect and love with every look, every touch, and every day.

    Happy Friday, now I’m going to go be a “is he bad or is he nice” guy for the weekend…

  2. Nice does have a lot of different meanings. A lot of words in our language do…

    I think we should all practice defining our thoughts and feelings more clearly. It’ll open a lot of doors to understanding what it is we like, don’t like, want, need, don’t want/need, and what we think of others…

    That way when a guy is boring, complacent, pushover, etc, he won’t be nice!! EH?

    Just a thought! 🙂

    LOVE THE BLOG!

  3. ARrived late to this post. I liked your incorporation of my ideas and I think the inclusion of everyone’s ideas was helpful. Good stuff. Made me realize even more just how incredibly problematic the word “nice” is 100% of the time. Made me think about how all the times I’ve been ‘nice,” while someone treated me questionably, it was because of low self-esteem, not generosity or respect or positivity. I vote to abolish the word “nice” in descriptions of guys.

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