10 Shocking Things Guys Wish Girls Knew

From brothers to boyfriends to BGFs—to that crush you’ve never even spoken to—dudes can be majorly mystifying. Ever wish you could round them all up for some #realtalk? Get a private peek at their innermost musings? Well, we did just that—and we’re sharing the surprising sentiments they want you to know.

- Jodi Bryson

1. TEXTING DOES *NOT* MEAN WHAT YOU THINK IT MEANS.

“Please, tell me why a girl thinks texting or Snapping a few times means I want her to be my girlfriend,” says Matty. Blunt, yes—but we like blunt. Matty is in the majority when it comes to digital discussions. Nearly every guy we talked to says when he texts, he’s really just trying to get to know you better and feel you out as a friend.

“Texting doesn’t mean I like her—it means I might want to see if I like her,” explains Matty. “I hate it because the next day the girl acts like she owns me. Or, if she’s shy, suddenly she can barely talk to me because she’s scared. Things just get really weird.”

In other words, exchanging messages with a guy isn’t a reason to change your behavior (or your relationship status). Just be yourself, take it slow and feel out the situation. Sure, a text could lead to something more—but for now there’s no need to stress or DTR right away.

2. YOU DON’T NEED MAKE- UP TO IMPRESS GUYS.

Judging from our survey, most boys have mixed feelings about makeup—ranging somewhere from tolerating it to not understanding it to downright disliking it.

“Why do girls think they need to wear so much stuff on their faces?” asks Ethan. “Girls at my school wear all this black stuff on their eyes, and their lips are, like, slicked with goop. I hope they don’t think it’s going to get them a guy.”

Don’t worry, we set Ethan straight about one thing: Girls don’t rock makeup to “get them a guy.” Girls wear makeup for different reasons: because it’s fun to play with, because it makes them feel confident, because they love expressing themselves in unique ways.