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21 and still never had a girlfriend. Is it ever going to happen? :(

I’ve recently turned 21, have a lot going for me but i’ve never had a girlfriend :frown: I have no experience at all, i've had one kiss on the cheek from a friend and that is it. I’m really enjoying my life atm but i do feel like there is something badly wrong with me.

I'm at uni and i've made plenty of friends. I’m in societies, I go out several times a week, I’m well known in my halls and I’ve got a job. I’ve been told so many times that I’m a really nice person and a good friend, I can make people laugh, I’m always friendly and people clearly like talking to me. I know so many girls and i have no issue getting to know and forming friendships with them.

Nobody believes me when i say i've never had a girlfriend but i don't know what to do. I don't know how to flirt or how you tell if someone likes you, i don't want to take the risk because the answer will be no. I don't have any confidence that a girl could be attracted to me when there are so many 'better' guys out there, either she would feel offended if i told her or her friends will go ''what is she doing with him?''

I'm so insecure about my appearance, but i look after myself and I’m often complimented on my dress sense/aftershave etc. I go out several times a week with my friends and when I look at the Facebook photos the next morning, I always look hideous. No wonder nobody is interested. but i work for a fashion retailer and surely if I was really ugly they wouldn’t have hired me?

Some of the single people in my group always seem to pull and i've been told that i should just try and find a drunk girl in a club but i'm not good looking, i wouldn't get anywhere. Besides i don't see the appeal in snogging someone whos name you don't even know to 'get it out of the way'. I want to meet a nice girl and get to know her properly. Everyone else seems to be able to, why can't i?

I've got lots of interests and friends so i'm not spending all my time looking for a girlfriend, but i'm getting increasingly worried. Most girls would be experienced by now, if they met someone in my situation it would be such a downgrade. I'm starting to fear it won't ever happen. All my friends are or have been in a relationship and when this topic comes up i always feel so left out.

Sorry this is so long but what can i do? :frown:

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awww *hugs* im sorry you feel this way!

It seems you might have really low self confidence and this 'view' fo yourself i.e. looking really ugly in the facebook pictures after your nights out, it seems really warped. I sometimes feel like that, but im sure its just your own critical opinion of yourself.

You cant really do anything more than what you already are- just continue meeting people and talking to others.

I know how you feel. Im 21 and a girl and quite in experienced with males, but these things happen when they happen. And you will be grateful you didnt rush anything, even if it doesnt feel like that now.
Reply 2
well, this also can happen to girls too,i know many girls in this kind of situation, i was one,but i only could start meeting guys after i stopped looking for it.
Just live your life, take care of your body and appearance, enjoy your friends and hobbies, and when you meet a girl take care to not be placed in the friendzone,be nice to them but show some interest too, i think that many guys cant get girlfriends because of that, many guys meet girls and put them in a pedestal and become their loser friend, so when you meet girls,create attraction,show your habilities, show how interesting you are,but dont look desperate or they will notice and run away.

i dont know how you act with women, but maybe this can be the problem!
reflect about your atitudes with women and try to improve it :smile: good luck
(edited 12 years ago)
Ya need to become more confident lad. Your not socially awkward going by what ya said. And lad your not the only one that looks rough as hell in fb photos after a night out. haha.. i'm 21 also, never had a proper gf. I'v seen girls kind of ish but never took things further. Only advice I can give ya is try become more confident, believe in yourself! Don't be afraid of rejection. It happens us all lol
Reply 4
I wouldn't be put off by your situation at all, in fact, I'd respect it so much more.
I'm at uni too, have recently come out of a 3 year relationship where me and my ex only ever knew eachother. So I've slept with one boy and am frankly intimidated and put off by guys who get 3 or more one night stands every week.
I'd want a guy who actually had morals and didn't want to "get things over with", definitely. And that's even when I've had some experience, so there are definitely girls out there who feel the same as you, who haven't had any either.
It sounds like deep down you know what you want, so I think you shouldn't succumb to the pressure. I think you should, with girls you like, try talking to them that little bit more, meeting up alone a bit more, tiny things will tell you whether they like you and want it go go further. It doesn't matter about your experience at all and hopefully you'll find a girl soon who can make all these insecurities disappear.
Reply 5
Original post by Anonymous
I’ve recently turned 21, have a lot going for me but i’ve never had a girlfriend :frown: I have no experience at all, i've had one kiss on the cheek from a friend and that is it. I’m really enjoying my life atm but i do feel like there is something badly wrong with me.

I'm at uni and i've made plenty of friends. I’m in societies, I go out several times a week, I’m well known in my halls and I’ve got a job. I’ve been told so many times that I’m a really nice person and a good friend, I can make people laugh, I’m always friendly and people clearly like talking to me. I know so many girls and i have no issue getting to know and forming friendships with them.

Nobody believes me when i say i've never had a girlfriend but i don't know what to do. I don't know how to flirt or how you tell if someone likes you, i don't want to take the risk because the answer will be no. I don't have any confidence that a girl could be attracted to me when there are so many 'better' guys out there, either she would feel offended if i told her or her friends will go ''what is she doing with him?''

I'm so insecure about my appearance, but i look after myself and I’m often complimented on my dress sense/aftershave etc. I go out several times a week with my friends and when I look at the Facebook photos the next morning, I always look hideous. No wonder nobody is interested. but i work for a fashion retailer and surely if I was really ugly they wouldn’t have hired me?

Some of the single people in my group always seem to pull and i've been told that i should just try and find a drunk girl in a club but i'm not good looking, i wouldn't get anywhere. Besides i don't see the appeal in snogging someone whos name you don't even know to 'get it out of the way'. I want to meet a nice girl and get to know her properly. Everyone else seems to be able to, why can't i?

I've got lots of interests and friends so i'm not spending all my time looking for a girlfriend, but i'm getting increasingly worried. Most girls would be experienced by now, if they met someone in my situation it would be such a downgrade. I'm starting to fear it won't ever happen. All my friends are or have been in a relationship and when this topic comes up i always feel so left out.

Sorry this is so long but what can i do? :frown:


I feel you bro. It WILL happen eventually though as long as you're proactive.

You don't have to be good looking to get a girlfriend. You don't even have to be that good looking to be a player. Good sense of style and solid grooming is normally enough.

Don't worry about the 'experience' thing either. Your first couple of times might be a bit awkward, yes. But you'll be surprised how easy it is to catch up. All you need to do is read up a bit on sexual technique, feign confidence and practice for a couple of weeks with your girlfriend when you get one. Then you'll be pretty much at the same level as most other people.

You've got a lot of friends so you've obviously got something going for you. And you're meeting enough women. As far as I can tell then, the main problem is just that you aren't making (enough) moves on girls. I bet there are some girls you know who are interested in you. But women will rarely make the first move and it's up to you to make something happen.

There is no 'risk' in trying it on with a girl. None. If you succeed then :borat:. If you get turned down, you've lost nothing. If anything the girl will respect you more for having the guts to put yourself on the line. And if you do lose a friendship over it - **** it - you never really wanted to be just friends anyway. I can honestly say I have never made a move on a girl that I would take back. The only regrets I have are the girls I let slip through my fingers because I didn't have the balls to approach.

Anyway, if you really want to crack this, PM me and I'll show you an amazing website that'll massively help.
You seriously need to gain some confidence - believe in yourself and stop letting doubt creep in. Also, I'd avoid looking at pictures of yourself as its making you insecure as you're seeking validation from them and you're not getting any. Remember confidence comes from within; nothing else can give it to you.
Reply 7
21 is young, plenty of people are still very inexperienced at this age. Don't worry at all!

You just need to be more confident, take some risks and ask a girl out if you like her.

You'll get there in the end, don't give up and don't get depressed about it.

Be happy, be confident and be proactive!
Foreveralonebadge-1.png
Im 26.. And never had one..

My parents are trying to force me to have an arranged marriage .. but i don't want one!!
It would seem the solution is not so much something you can do, but an attitude you can change. You're clearly a sociable individual with plenty of interests, so it can't be the case that you're unable to meet women due to your lifestyle. Confidence and - crucially - stressing less about meeting women are going to see you do better. You'll psyche yourself out of actually meeting anyone if you're always worried about meeting someone.
Reply 11
Original post by midlandsman
I feel you bro. It WILL happen eventually though as long as you're proactive.

You don't have to be good looking to get a girlfriend. You don't even have to be that good looking to be a player. Good sense of style and solid grooming is normally enough.

Don't worry about the 'experience' thing either. Your first couple of times might be a bit awkward, yes. But you'll be surprised how easy it is to catch up. All you need to do is read up a bit on sexual technique, feign confidence and practice for a couple of weeks with your girlfriend when you get one. Then you'll be pretty much at the same level as most other people.

You've got a lot of friends so you've obviously got something going for you. And you're meeting enough women. As far as I can tell then, the main problem is just that you aren't making (enough) moves on girls. I bet there are some girls you know who are interested in you. But women will rarely make the first move and it's up to you to make something happen.

There is no 'risk' in trying it on with a girl. None. If you succeed then :borat:. If you get turned down, you've lost nothing. If anything the girl will respect you more for having the guts to put yourself on the line. And if you do lose a friendship over it - **** it - you never really wanted to be just friends anyway. I can honestly say I have never made a move on a girl that I would take back. The only regrets I have are the girls I let slip through my fingers because I didn't have the balls to approach.

Anyway, if you really want to crack this, PM me and I'll show you an amazing website that'll massively help.



hey i am in the same boat mate, can you pm me with that site? cheers
Reply 12
i was going to make a comment about getting off tsr and going out to find someone, but then i remembered i met my girlfriend off here so...
Reply 13
Original post by midlandsman
I feel you bro. It WILL happen eventually though as long as you're proactive.

You don't have to be good looking to get a girlfriend. You don't even have to be that good looking to be a player. Good sense of style and solid grooming is normally enough.

Don't worry about the 'experience' thing either. Your first couple of times might be a bit awkward, yes. But you'll be surprised how easy it is to catch up. All you need to do is read up a bit on sexual technique, feign confidence and practice for a couple of weeks with your girlfriend when you get one. Then you'll be pretty much at the same level as most other people.

You've got a lot of friends so you've obviously got something going for you. And you're meeting enough women. As far as I can tell then, the main problem is just that you aren't making (enough) moves on girls. I bet there are some girls you know who are interested in you. But women will rarely make the first move and it's up to you to make something happen.

There is no 'risk' in trying it on with a girl. None. If you succeed then :borat:. If you get turned down, you've lost nothing. If anything the girl will respect you more for having the guts to put yourself on the line. And if you do lose a friendship over it - **** it - you never really wanted to be just friends anyway. I can honestly say I have never made a move on a girl that I would take back. The only regrets I have are the girls I let slip through my fingers because I didn't have the balls to approach.

Anyway, if you really want to crack this, PM me and I'll show you an amazing website that'll massively help.


I'd be interested in that site.
Reply 14
Original post by CandyCandy
well, this also can happen to girls too,i know many girls in this kind of situation, i was one,but i only could start meeting guys after i stopped looking for it.
Just live your life, take care of your body and appearance, enjoy your friends and hobbies, and when you meet a girl take care to not be placed in the friendzone,be nice to them but show some interest too, i think that many guys cant get girlfriends because of that, many guys meet girls and put them in a pedestal and become their loser friend, so when you meet girls,create attraction,show your habilities, show how interesting you are,but dont look desperate or they will notice and run away.


I get what you mean, I don't think i'm a stereotypical 'nice guy' though. I'm not needy, a pushover etc i'm just genuinely interested in other people. I know a lot of girls and they speak very highly of me, either in front of me or to others. I honestly can't understand how they think like this :s-smilie:

Original post by midlandsman
I feel you bro. It WILL happen eventually though as long as you're proactive.

You don't have to be good looking to get a girlfriend. You don't even have to be that good looking to be a player. Good sense of style and solid grooming is normally enough.

You've got a lot of friends so you've obviously got something going for you. And you're meeting enough women. As far as I can tell then, the main problem is just that you aren't making (enough) moves on girls. I bet there are some girls you know who are interested in you. But women will rarely make the first move and it's up to you to make something happen.

There is no 'risk' in trying it on with a girl. None. If you succeed then :borat:. If you get turned down, you've lost nothing. If anything the girl will respect you more for having the guts to put yourself on the line. And if you do lose a friendship over it - **** it - you never really wanted to be just friends anyway. I can honestly say I have never made a move on a girl that I would take back. The only regrets I have are the girls I let slip through my fingers because I didn't have the balls to approach.

Anyway, if you really want to crack this, PM me and I'll show you an amazing website that'll massively help.


I do look after myself but i've always been so insecure about my appearance :frown: I did a ****load of sports when i was younger but even though i was in great shape i was so body conscious. I do notice girls staring at me now and then but i've never had any comments on my appearance either way. So i only have my own opinion to go on and thats a negative one.

Yeah i find it really easy to make friends with girls if they're friendly. My flat, house for next year, friends on my course, friendship group in halls and my job all have a majority of girls. Not too sure how thats happened :s-smilie: When i meet a girl i don't think that i've got a chance i just see them as a potential friend. Of all the girls i know, i'd say there is only one who i'm genuinely interested in and she is WAY out of my league. Its not something i think about cos they are good friends.

I don't think i have ever made a move, ever. Don't know how :frown: I go out a ridiculous amount but i always stick with my friends. I'm not confident or good looking enough to go over to a group of girls when they've got their guard up and i don't see the appeal. I want to at least know the girl a bit first, what if it turns out we have nothing in common or worse i never see her again?>

If you think it could help then i'm definitely up for it! I'll make a new account and PM you :smile:
maybe you're gay
Reply 16
Original post by xcesciee
I wouldn't be put off by your situation at all, in fact, I'd respect it so much more.
I'm at uni too, have recently come out of a 3 year relationship where me and my ex only ever knew eachother. So I've slept with one boy and am frankly intimidated and put off by guys who get 3 or more one night stands every week.
I'd want a guy who actually had morals and didn't want to "get things over with", definitely. And that's even when I've had some experience, so there are definitely girls out there who feel the same as you, who haven't had any either.
It sounds like deep down you know what you want, so I think you shouldn't succumb to the pressure. I think you should, with girls you like, try talking to them that little bit more, meeting up alone a bit more, tiny things will tell you whether they like you and want it go go further. It doesn't matter about your experience at all and hopefully you'll find a girl soon who can make all these insecurities disappear.


That is reassuring. Even if the guy had never done anything?. Would be such a change going from a long term boyfriend to someone who hadn't even kissed before. When i started my job i was always messing things up, having to get people to guide me etc and i felt SO guilty. I'd feel the same here, like i was holding the girl back. Is that just me being paranoid?

I have no issue starting a conversation or inviting a girl out if she's a friend but when i like her i go really weird! Theres someone i like at the moment but i can't bring myself to even text her or message her on Facebook, even though we get along in person. Part of me thinks that if she was interested she would talk to me sometimes but then girls don't make the first move do they. Confusing!

Original post by Chumbaniya
It would seem the solution is not so much something you can do, but an attitude you can change. You're clearly a sociable individual with plenty of interests, so it can't be the case that you're unable to meet women due to your lifestyle. Confidence and - crucially - stressing less about meeting women are going to see you do better. You'll psyche yourself out of actually meeting anyone if you're always worried about meeting someone.


Yeah i'm a bit shy but i am by no means socially awkward. You wouldn't suspect a thing if you saw my Facebook and i doubt many people look at me and think ''he's never had a girlfriend''. I've had plenty of girls saying i tick all the boxes, someone will turn up soon, anyone would be lucky to have me etc but i can't see what makes them say that. I try not to think about it but a lot of my friends are in relationships and theres also drinking games etc so this topic comes up a lot. I always feel so left out and wonder whats wrong with me!
Reply 17
Original post by Anonymous
maybe you're gay


Hilarious. You should be a comedian.

Why did you go anon to say that? :rolleyes:
You sound like the male version of me.
Reply 19
There's somebody out there for everyone, and despite your evident low self-confidence you have to believe that. The right person will come along and you'll just know. In the meanwhile, maybe try and approach someone you like and ask- if you don't ask you'll never know. Get a few drinks inside of you first, I know it can seem daunting but really, what is there to lose? You're no different from when you started or you've ended up with a relationship.
Good luck!

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