It may seem strange or rude to ignore someone, especially someone you actually like, but it has been known to happen sometimes. So what does it mean when a woman ignores a man she likes?
In this article, we’ll explore the answer to this question in greater depth.
What Does It Mean When a Woman Ignores a Man She Likes?
When a woman ignores a man she likes, it’s usually either because she feels nervous and doesn’t want to accidentally say or do anything that might embarrass her, or she has been taught that ignoring a man will make her seem more interesting and the old-fashioned notion of “hard-to-get.”
Do Women Ignore Men They Are Attracted To?
While certainly not true for all women, especially in many modern-day societies, there are some women who do ignore men they are attracted to.
One of the reasons for this is that the woman might feel nervous around the man that she is attracted to. This could be due to an innately shy personality.
For other women, the nervousness could be due to anxiety rooted in a fear that they might say or do something that the man would find unattractive or otherwise embarrassing.
Sometimes, this fear may come from past negative experiences, or at least past experiences that were perceived as negative. Other times, the anxiety is just a worry without any real basis, yet it causes shyness and nervousness anyway.
It’s all perfectly understandable, as many people do become self-conscious when they are around someone they especially like. Ironically, it can sometimes be the most difficult to think of the right thing to say when we are around the person we would most like to impress.
“Playing Hard-to-Get”
Throughout history and across many cultures, many people have been socialized to believe that women should be some variation of “hard-to-get.” Even as late as the 2000s in the U.S. (and updated in 2013!), the book All The Rules had extensive instructions to women about how to be attractive to men.
The author of All The Rules specifically states that “men want a challenge, not an easy victory,” and “the man must be attracted to and then pursue the woman.”
It follows from these assertions that many woman think that if they want a man to be attracted to them and pursue them, then they must make it challenging for the man and not show any interest in the man until well after the man shows interest in her. Essentially, it can be interpreted to mean that the woman is advised to ignore a man she likes.
When a Woman Ignores a Man She Likes – Other Reasons
There may be times when a woman does like a man, however, the interest may be inappropriate. This could be due to a professional relationship between the two, or perhaps either the man or woman is already in a committed relationship.
In these cases, the woman, realizing that the attraction is inappropriate, may choose to ignore the man as much as possible so as to not create any problems in either of their lives.
While this would hopefully deter any unsuitable relationships from developing, it likely would also prevent a perfectly nice friendship or appropriate professional relationship from blossoming, as well.
Could a woman maintain a professional and appropriate relationship on a platonic level, with the man she likes, or is it best to avoid this particular man as much as possible? Generally, this should be left up to the individual woman’s judgement as far as the most appropriate way to behave in her specific circumstance. If the man is aware of or feels any attraction to the woman in this or a similar situation, he should of course use his best judgement regarding his behavior for all involved, as well.
When a Woman Ignores a Man Because She Isn’t Interested In Him
Of course, most of the time when a woman ignores a man it is probably because she is simply not interested in him, and therefore just doesn’t think of or notice him very often. This obviously can be very confusing for people who may not know if the woman is ignoring the man because she likes him and is nervous or playing coy, or if she is actually ignoring him because she has no interest in him at all!
This is why a more recent movement has evolved that encourages both men and women to be honest with their feelings, as well as – most importantly – respecting when someone rebuffs an advance. “No” means “no,” in all circumstances.
When a Woman Ignoring a Man is Badly Misinterpreted
There may be some instances where a woman senses, or has been specifically told, that a man is interested in her or attracted to her, and to discourage him from pursuing her or to signal her disinterest she may try ignoring him.
Unfortunately, the man in that situation may incorrectly believe the woman is just “playing hard-to-get” and trying to create “a challenge” for him, as seemingly recommended by some relationship advice or old fashioned stereotypes and misconceptions. This can create not only a disappointing situation for the man, but much worse, a potentially dangerous situation for the woman.
If the woman has told the man in any way “no,” and/or is continually ignoring him, yet the man continues to pursue the woman, at some point this could be, or be interpreted as, stalking or harassment.
If a man does not accept “no” for an answer, the woman should do everything she can to keep herself safe, including asking others for help and even asking for law enforcement or other legal help if necessary.
When a Woman Ignores a Man She Likes What Does It Mean?
Sometimes, a woman might ignore a man she likes because she believes that ignoring a man will make her seem more exciting and, perhaps, the (old-fashioned) concept of “hard-to-get.” Usually, however, it’s out of nervousness and not wanting to accidentally do or say something that could be embarrassing.
Reasons a Woman Might Ignore a Man She Likes
When a woman ignores a man she likes there can be several reasons for her behavior.
One reason could be that she is tired of waiting for him to make the first move and wants to see if he will take the initiative.
Another reason could be that he has been giving her mixed signals leaving her confused about his intentions.
Additionally she may be playing games and wants to test his interest in her.
Finally she might be emotionally unavailable and is protecting herself by shutting her emotions off from the world.
It is important for the man to use his intuition and assess if it is worth pursuing a woman who consistently ignores him or if it is best to cut ties and move on.
