Hello gentlemen, 21 yo college student here, wondering what the struggle is with getting female attention.

I guess I'll start with describing myself a bit? I've been told I'm physically attractive by female friends, females I barely even know, etc. I play guitar (granted, I play a lot of metal but still), I'm smart enough, I've had people (guys and girls) tell me that I'm funny and easy to be around. I'm not a sex machine but I'm decent enough in bed to get the job done. I'm not the most muscular in the world, I'm actually a long distance runner, but again, people have said to me "you look like you could defend yourself if you needed to".

My interests often aren't the most mainstream: I do enjoy metal and horror movies and I do wear a fair bit of black clothing... because I enjoy doing that. And yes, like everyone, sometimes I can be awkward. But honestly, I've had horrible luck with females and I'm not sure why, because every single solitary time I ask somebody earnestly "what the hell is wrong with me? Why am I failing here?", be they male or female that I'm asking I'm either met with "nothing is wrong with you, you just haven't met the right person" or "I don't really know".

I'm still fairly close to my mother. We've always been tight and I've brought this problem to her, because she is really a no bullshit person, even with me. I've asked her to be brutally honest and she's basically said: "Your body is fine. You're a kind person, you're smart, and while your interests aren't the most mainstream, you will find somebody who is willing to explore them with you. Your biggest issue is that you just don't have the confidence to approach a lot of the time".

The one relationship I've had was pure and utter hell; I was horribly abused and that definitely left its scars, so she may be right. But what do you all think?