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They don't want to come across as a creep.

The only people who will find that creepy are the people who will slap you if you try it without consent.

That's just not true. I've seen women online, women I know irl, who have said things along the lines of, "If you see a woman alone in a coffee shop, don't talk to her." Meanwhile, the same girls will complain about how men never talk to them. I see this more and more often within the latest wave of feminism.

I see women on Twitter complaining about "creeps" all the time even when they aren't doing anything I'd consider creepy.

HN isn't really the place to get into a long conversation on this, but your comment supports even more the idea that the easiest way to kiss someone is to simply ask for consent before you do. Some guys have this idea that "Can I kiss you" will complicate things or kill the moment, but I've seen no evidence that that's true. It's four words, and saves you from the problems that come up if you kiss her and she wasn't comfortable with it.

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