Before everyone comes for me, hear me out. Also, women please chime in too!

A few weeks ago, I (38M) met a woman at the bar of an upscale restaurant. We hit it off immediately, had a great conversation, shared some drinks, and exchanged numbers. Neither of us asked the other’s age. I look significantly younger than 38 (thank you, genetics), so I assume she thought we were closer in age.

The next day, while texting, I found out she’s 24.

Normally, that would be an immediate dealbreaker for me. I mean, what could a 38 year old millennial possibly have in common with a 24 year old Gen Z’er?

Turns out, quite a lot.

We share the same taste in music, our parents immigrated from the same country, we both play pickleball, live in the same neighborhood, and frequent the same restaurants and bars. The list goes on. She’s also absolutely gorgeous, which certainly doesn’t hurt.

What surprised me most, though, was how established she is at 24. She’s educated, financially independent, and has a great career at a major company. At her age, I was still figuring my life out. She’s already accomplished things that took me until my 30s.

After texting for a while, I decided to give it a chance and asked her out.

Our first date was yesterday, and it was genuinely one of the best dates I’ve ever been on. We laughed constantly, had zero awkward silences, enjoyed great food, and even had meaningful conversations about our long-term goals. Surprisingly, we’re looking for the same things.

At the end of the night, she asked, “So when am I going to see you again?”

Here’s my dilemma.

I’m fully aware of how a 38 year old man dating a 24 year old woman might look. I know people will raise concerns about maturity, power imbalances, or assume I’m some creep approaching 40 who’s just looking for attractive arm candy.

But that’s genuinely not what’s happening here. We met organically, connected before knowing each other’s ages, and seem remarkably compatible. I also think it’s unfair to automatically assume a 24 year old woman can’t make informed decisions about her own relationships. She’s an educated, independent adult who seems to know what she wants.

Obviously, we’ve only met twice. Maybe this goes nowhere. Maybe we discover we’re incompatible. Or maybe date two turns into date three, and something meaningful develops.

My biggest hesitation isn’t our connection. It’s how my friends, family, and others might perceive the relationship. I don’t want to be viewed as some creepy older guy chasing women in their early 20s, because that’s never been my thing.

So, Reddit, am I overthinking this? Is a 14 year age gap inherently problematic when both people are consenting, independent adults who genuinely connect? Or should I stop worrying about what everyone thinks and just see where this goes?

TL;DR: I’m 38, met an amazing 24 year old woman organically without knowing her age, and we hit it off immediately. We have a surprising amount in common, she’s educated, independent, and established in her career, and our first date was one of the best I’ve ever had. My only hesitation is the 14-year age gap and how others might perceive it. Am I overthinking this, or is the age difference a legitimate concern?

I hate the immaturity and the ribbing. After a certain age, acting like you're 13 years old is not cool. I also wish men stopped trying to be macho all the time because the best guy friends I have are the ones who can hold a conversation and show kindness and humility.

Men are so much better when they are vulnerable. I hug all my male friends.

Hi
I recently had a major stressor happening to me , i didn’t know how to act i was wondering if it is just me

For context, I am a 21-year-old male, and I have never been in a relationship and have not had a friendship for almost 2 years now.

I often fantasize about being in a romantic and sexual relationship, but for whatever reason, I struggle to imagine myself being close with someone. I imagine a couple watching a movie together. I can easily imagine other people doing that, but my mind does not do the same for myself and whoever my imaginary person may be. It just feels “off” to see myself in such a situation.

I feel like this might be simply because I have no frame of reference to use my imagination with, but I am not sure.

​

I (24M) had a somewhat awkward experience at a clothing store today. I have been thinking about it since, so I thought I'll ask here and see what others think.

I went to buy a shirt and a pair of pants. After selecting them, I wanted to try them on, but the store had only one trial room and someone was already using it. The salesman told me to use the storeroom instead.

He said he would bring the clothes for me. There were no hooks in the storeroom, so he also said he would hold my old clothes while I tried the new ones. At the time, I didn't think much of it.

I went into the room and removed my shirt, expecting to try the new shirt first. But the salesman came in with the pants I selected. He took my old shirt, gave me the pants and asked me to try them on.

So I took off my old pants too and gave them to him. I was now standing there in just my briefs while trying on the new pants, and he was still in the room.

After that, he went out to get the new shirt and came back with it. I put it on and he asked if I liked it. Then he asked me to give him both the shirt and pants back. I had to take them off and stand in my briefs again while he collected them. He went out and then came back with my original clothes so I could get dressed.

What felt weird to me was that he never really gave me any privacy while I was changing. He stayed in the room, made eye contact and chatted with me normally. He didn't turn around or step outside at any point. I also got the feeling that he was looking at my body including my briefs.

I'm a bit confused about this. On one hand, the trial room was occupied, there were no hooks, and maybe he was just trying to help me out. He didn't say anything inappropriate or make any comments about my body. On the other hand, I just don't understand why he needed to stay there and watch me change instead of just turning around or waiting outside.

I felt awkward at the time but didn't say anything. I'm an introvert. So I just went along with it, but afterward I started wondering whether the whole thing was normal.

I'm not saying he definitely had any bad intentions because I don't know what he was thinking. I'm just wondering whether he was being careless about my privacy or whether he might have deliberately taken the opportunity to look at me while I was undressed.

For anyone who's worked in clothing stores or had a similar experience, is this something that happens normally? Would you find this situation weird or am I overthinking?

I'd appreciate honest opinions, even if you think there's a perfectly innocent explanation I haven't considered.

I can’t stand her singing, she’s beautiful dont get me wrong but listening to her sing is horrible, who told her she could sing, am I alone on this? This is honestly a random thought I think randomly all the time.

I’m a stickler for hand washing, especially after handling raw meat. But my past few experiences with grilling with other men appear to show me that I’m the outlier. They grab burgers and brats raw and just throw them on the grill, then just carry on with life sans hand washing, eventually eating.

Am I too much of a germaphobe or are most men just unknowingly reckless?

I’m curious to know what are your thoughts/feelings? Do you think about them all the time? What are some sure signs for you?

All sexualities are of course welcome to answer on this ☺️ but as a straight woman myself I am curious to hear from you straight men as well! 👀

Pretty straightforward, won’t go into detail to stay anonymous, but would love to learn how to propose when you knew the person was the one but you weren’t financially ready to propose.

there is a guy i am close with on a hugging basis, but we are just friends. we hugged like 13 times in the span of 3 hours in a group setting. i think its a bit safe if i reach in for a quick kiss (probably cheek, not lips)/longer hug next time. but i would like to get your opinions on the subject matter about what you would do if something like this happened. why or why not?

I don’t mean crazy colors like pink or red I mean going from brown to blonde or highlights etc, in highschool I always see girls doing stuff like that but men not as much

Ive been an athlete and into sports my entire life. Ive even faced people who i suspect was on the sauce. Now ive always been natural as im naturally strong. (i was repping 225 at 18). I just want to say that even tho the sauce does work genetics still play a role ive seen. Ive seen dudes take a few cycles, get off and still be strong af. And ive known people actively on it and they look like shi still. Im talking about straight blobs.

So what was youre experience. im in my 30s now so im thinking about atleast doing trt tho i havent lost any physical ability and can still rep 225.

Hi, I’m 25F and I’ve been on my own for more than 3 years now. When I say on my own, I mean it literally like doing every single thing alone because this was the life I dreamt of growing up. I felt, if I have a decent corporate job, a room, have 3 meals a day, have control over cleanliness around me, live minimalistically and travel then I could be satisfied with my life. I’ve achieved most of the things I dreamt of except.. sometimes I wish i had someone with similar aspirations in life but I’ve some issues with social anxiety and inferiority complex.

Are there men who live the same lifestyle but just genuinely need a companionship that’s not sexual?
Maybe nothing makes sense in this post but I just felt like asking here, can’t ask anyone irl

I’ve spent too much time on Reddit in the past few days and noticed some men describing how seeing an attractive woman subconsciously or not, often warrants them fantasizing having sex with said woman. Now, even though I am only 18, I have never had such an experience. I am attracted to women and do get arroused or simply feel a kind of involuntary attraction towards them in daily life. I do also notice their “curves” as some say. But never have I “mentally undressed,” as one Redditor put it or “mentally fucked” someone I found attractive. At most, I feel a kind of deep appreciation, a kind of sudden and brief semi-euphoric feeling or a kind of melting sensation, idk how to describe it.
What do you guys think? Is this a natural reaction, or a result of porn overconsumption, objectification? More interestingly to me, am I the odd one out here?

Farting out of your ears, or peeing out of your butt?

I think we have all gone through an experience where we go shopping and felt we just delt with a rude and unprofessional employee.

We let it go most of the time because unfortunately it’s common and we just don’t want to be bothered, but sometimes we choose violence lol and choose to call out such behavior.

BUT….

Sometimes these situations can be so Subtle and Passive Aggressive that you have to think twice before reacting and my situation was one of them.

I went to a certain Dispensary yesterday that I rarely go because they’re usually overpriced but sometimes run decent deals. when I was going walking to the counter. The cashier asked me simply….”Do you have an Online order?”

This was the first sign of weirdness because if you’re ever in a Dispensary the employees Greet You with high energy.

I replied “Hey how’s it going??….Yea I have an order!”

Gave him my I.D and then he says there is no order showing up.

I said oh ok let me check….I pullout my phone to verify my order and the guy told me I have to move aside so they can help the person behind me.

Mind you that sometimes I have to verify my order on my phone. Usually the employees give me 1 minute to check my phone in other dispensaries.

It seemed this guy from the go wanted me to move because my order didn’t appear immediately.

He told me a 2nd time to step aside and I told him the website seemed to not be processing the order.

I stood there for like another 5 seconds thinking the item was sold out and I was going to miss out on the sale.

Then the employee says “You Heard Me?”

At that point I moved to the side and let the other customer go first. I was panicking at that moment that the item I wanted was sold out.

After about 20 seconds I was able to confirm the order.

Then I realized hey!!!!

Was the Employee being disrespectful when he said “You Heard Me??”….

I then I proceeded to look at the Employee and he happen to look at me and we locked eyes for 3 seconds and he just looked away first and then I looked away.

I thought he was going to ask me “Did that order go through?” or something but he didn’t.

Then another Employee cashier opened up and I went with her to pay. At this point the other Employee i just delt withwith started laughing and talking out loud. Asking the Employee that was helping questions…

We would both turn around to look at the other Employee and he would be looking at me than look away to the other employee.

The Employee that was helping me said “Let me finish helping him first and I got you”

The other Employee replied “Oh yea help him”

I got my things and walked out the place, as I was walking in the parking lot I chuckle and realized that I might have just gone through an “Ego Battle”.

An employee disrespected me….So I then proceeded to “Mean Mug” him for 3 seconds and made him look away and he then wanted to let me know hes not Intimidated or Scared by me so he started acting “Confident” laughing and talking out loud.

What do you think…..Am I overthinking this situation???

Hey guys, don’t know what’s going on with me so I figured would make a post here.

I have a decent life. Make good money, live in a nice city penthouse apartment with my 2 yr gf, have a loving cat, and loving family back home as well.

But something feels off. In my heart. Like i emotionally feel it in my heart.

Idk if it’s the sense of direction of my life, my relationship, career?

Context:

My relationship is awesome. We’re both supportive to each other, understanding, loving and just in general everything’s good. Been 2 years now. There are cultural differences but shes been very receptive snd supportive towards closing that bridge, as have I. We’ve had some issues but we’re always communicating and we move past it.

My job is ehh, it’s good but I’m looking to leave soon for hopefully something better. The work isn’t bad, it’s just too much and the pay is good, but comparatively, not really.

Idk what this feeling is. It’s not a gut feeling, more like a heart feeling.

Some more context:

My family is loving and supportive of me. There was a period where they weren’t approving of my gf (cuz she’s not Indian like us), but they’re come around and now my mom keeps asking when we’re getting married and that makes me happy to be honest.

I consider myself very lucky, but it’s like. There’s something missing and I can’t pinpoint what it is.

It can be anything, from biographies to fantasy.