Me: 21 years old, 6'3", 210 pounds, former high school football player, current Engineering undergrad. 4 or 5/10 face (not helped by lingering acne!), 8 or 9/10 body (I have worked hard for years!)

Question: Girls have never spoken to me. Not when I was the dominant force in the classroom during middle school, or the aloof kid in high school that still achieved the highest scores. And I have been perfectly content not to speak with them, at least recently. I have not always possessed this attitude. I used to agonize over girls, wondering what I lacked that they were looking for in a friend/mate. Was I smart? At the time, I thought I was (99th percentile on the dramatically flawed achievement tests throughout my school career, AP classes, prestigious Engineering university). Was I ugly? Perhaps. Until sophomore year, I wore classes and sported extremely long and shaggy hair (looked awful in hindsight). Was I dull? Sure, but not with my friend. Just in public, and this was very much intentional.

After reading TRP for a couple of months now, I wonder: Have I leaned towards TRP all along, just too afraid to take advantage of my abilities? Due to my upbringing (church values, etc.) I have always refrained from approaching girls whatsoever, out of respect. I always feared that they would take my attempts at conversation as flirting, and so I refrained. Would never want to accidentally flirt, right?

Fine, so the actual question: Has the problem been with the girls and not myself?

I weigh 210 pounds, up from 140 as a 6'3" high school freshman. I lift weights on a dedicated routine. I take challenging STEM classes. I possess at the least passable facial features. Is there anything inherently wrong with me that I am not already in the process of improving? Not that I can tell.

Female attention? I believe I am improving at noting the signs. A girl last semester sat next to me in one class and initiated conversation every day (6/10, terrible in the class). I distinctly felt as if I could have pursued something had I cared to do so. In high school, even, a girl in my Spanish 2 class (a sophomore, I was a senior) would greet me every day even though I ignored her. She once came up to me and began running her hands through my freshly buzzed hair. On my last day (seniors leave school early), she sat by me the entire class, waiting for me to acknowledge her. I did no such thing. Mistake on my part? Probably. She was intelligent and an 8/10, easily.

Oh, another girl did the exact same hair thing to me a couple months ago. And a girl at work showed me a video on her phone, a thinly veiled caricature of porn scenes wherein the guys ejaculate on the girl's face (in the video it was with hot dogs and condiments, haha, not very funny). She said she felt like this was what guys and girls ended up doing every time they hang out. I ignored her, feigning ignorance. She is a clear 5/10, 23 and stuck in a minimum wage job while I work toward an Engineering degree. Not willing to risk a child with her while bettering myself for the long-term.

These examples are just the blatant ones I remember. I can honestly say I do not seek out female attention. I do not speak to girls, ever, unless spoken to (except in work settings, obviously). I do not look at girls in the hallways at school, though I notice them frequently adjusting their hair as they pass me.

I feel like I could nab a girl tomorrow if I really wanted to. I just have never tried. Am I imagining things, or should I actually try something just to see what happens?

I hope all of this makes sense. I can provide pictures if needed. I realize I am a new subscriber to this sub, hopefully my post does not get removed. I have been lurking for nearly two months now, but just decided to make an alt account so I can subscribe.