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Being a Single Guy on a Female Dominated Campus: The Struggle

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNCG chapter.

As a junior in college here at UNCG, I am familiar with the fact that, I am just gonna come right out and say it, there are a plethora of beautiful women on this campus. Hear me out, seriously, like, there are SO many. While most people would assume this to be a good thing for a guy like myself, at times, I find it to be troublesome.

I am single. I believe that monogamy could work for me. But, living in a space with so many potential partners, I have no idea who or what I want. There are women who are inspiring artists and fashion innovators. There are also women who, by the grace of God, possess otherworldly natural beauty. There are women who are outspoken and proactive and have a strong sense of direction in their life (*side note: I do not.) I find this to be especially attractive. I am just a lost dude amongst a world of beautiful women. For starters, I want to clarify that I am not some womanizing, one-night stand, kiss and tell asshole. Far from it. I couldn’t be a ladies man if I tried, though I do consider myself to be moderately attractive. Nothing crazy. I’m no Idris Elba, Brad Pitt or Boris Kodjoe. I have been pursued by a few women, not many. I am not sure why, but they never appealed to me to be completely honest. But nonetheless, the struggle of being a heterosexual male on this campus is real. Here are 8 reasons why being surrounded by women at all times is a bit rough.

1) Studying on campus is a constant distraction

Every single time I try to go to the library or any of the other go to “study” spots on campus I am faced with the challenge of 1) not being distracted by my phone and 2) not being distracted by the ceaseless flow of alluring women that walk by.

2) My commitment issues are amplified

There are, as mentioned previously, several potential partners on this campus. I am rather certain of this. Now, being a minority when it comes to the sexes, how do I filter through all the dazzling candidates? I know myself pretty well, but when it comes to how well I know what I want, shit becomes difficult. It becomes more difficult when you have literally every kind of person from race/ethnicity to personality type to common interests/hobbies and so on to pick from. *I should note that my success in the romance game is frighteningly limited.*

3) I am a self-proclaimed awkward individual

While there are times I can be funny and irresistibly charming (hahahaha sike) majority of the time I am just an awkward mess. I am a dude who trips on his way into the classroom, mishears people when they ask me questions ( I am completely deaf in my right ear) spills spaghetti on my nice, clean shirt and unintentionally ignores women when they do show signs of interest. This is me and my painfully socially inept self.

4) I can talk for days…except when it comes to talking to potential bae

Since there are several dozen potential baes everywhere I go, I am always in freeze mode. I can talk to anyone…like literally anyone…even potential bae. What I can’t do is initiate a date or display interest in a way that does not automatically put me in the friend-zone. I have been told by several women that I put myself in the friend zone. I do not know how to prevent this from happening….do nice guys really finish last?–actually….don’t answer that question.

5) All of my male companions speak of their female struggles

This is difficult because this helps me justify my struggle with the opposite sex, romantically speaking. My homie will be all like: “girls are crazy bruh” and I am like “are they?” and they will be like “Yes bruh!” then they proceed to tell me some crazy story involving a girl in their life and I’ll be in my head like “this can’t be true” only to have another homie tell their crazy ridiculous story involving women and how they are cold-hearted savages. This continues for a while and I will finally convince myself “this is why I don’t need a girlfriend…girls are crazy…duh”. After this revelation (I have this revelation at least once a week.) I’ll be cool on trying to pursue women for a few…*a beautiful women walks past*….what was I saying?

6) My interest in the opposite sex will never diminish

7) I am sexually inexperienced

8) There is a lot of man-bashing in my classes

I am a communications major. We talk in class about a lot of stuff. Sometimes this involves talking about relationships. Women rule these classes, for they are the majority. As a result, there are times when women, who have been hurt by other men, lash out with rants in class with a mob mentality savagely and unfairly bashing any male in the room. At times like these I figure it is best to wait it out and let the storm pass.

Trent Ryden Junior Communication Studies Major
I am currently a student at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. I am double-majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources and Women's and Gender Studies. I love my university and the diversity on campus is important to me.