A question, I suppose...

[blas]

Well, there's always the bend and snap....

Edit to be serious:

I'm not the most confident girl in the world....and I have my own little insecurities like everyone else. The very first time I ever saw my boyfriend (yes, we met at a bar), I think my heart stopped. I'd never seen a guy that well built and gorgeous outside of the movies and magazines. Did I really think I could just walk up to him and start a conversation and snag him? Not really. But I thought about it this way. I would rather go up to him, say hello, see if we could chat and even if it was JUST that, that would make me happier than standing there, doubting myself, deciding to not do anything, and then watch him get snagged away by another girl who took it upon herself to take that chance. It never hurts to try. And when you're cool and casual, you cannot come across as desperate or crazy. Just by taking that chance, not getting to wrapped up in "Am I pretty enough for him?" "Will he think I'm stupid?" and just trying....look what it got me.

Good things can happen.

[sms001]

I WISH I could just walk up and say hi to a guy! I'd probably get all nervous and start talking about all kinds of random stuff making a complete fool of myself haha. Baby steps!!

I think many of us find this quite adorable really, but if you don't like it in yourself it might not come across so well.

[Barracuda]

Just dating isn't a bad idea, although you can gain experience in other ways. Truth be told, just dating and just hanging out with a male friend probably aren't going to be *much* different at first, aside from the occasional mushy stuff, like hugging and kissing. I'm sorry to hear about your past--I have a couple of friends, both male and female, that that happened to, and it does leave major scars. Also, I worked with troubled (read: abused) teens in a social work environment for 6 months a couple years ago. Believe me, I can understand how that would majorly influence your love life. Honest advice: If you have issues to deal with, that takes priority. Not saying that you can't be in a relationship at the same time, just saying that healing should take priority. Also, remember, love is kind of like a Zen thing--you can't really find it until you stop looking. (I know, I know, drives ME crazy too.) I can also see how the height thing would be intimidating--while it doesn't bother me, as I have dated girls who were taller than I am, some guys find it strange to look UP at their date. Again, though, I wouldn't worry too much. You're still barely past college age--plenty of time.