Is it a good thing when a guy says you have strong legs?

[Anonymous]

A guy made a comment about how he and I probably have the strongest legs out of all the people at the party. I'm 5'3, active, feminine, play soccer, etc but this comment felt weird. He and I have had sex many times, was this supposed to be a compliment?

[MrOracle]

Yes, it was intended to be a compliment.

As DutchAtheist says, it's very common for guys to say something that THEY think is a compliment, but because they're nervous, inexperienced, or just not so great with words sometimes, that what comes out of their mouths isn't exactly what they intended to say or how they intended to say it.

Still, guys very, very rarely do the "cut you down with a compliment full of hateful subtext" thing that girls are always doing with each other. Hell, most guys don't even pick up on that subtext, much less are they good enough at communicating to use it themselves. As a rule, you need to take whatever a guy says at FACE VALUE, because that's how guys talk.

You'll never have a guy give another guy a compliment-with-negative-subtext; if a guy wants to insult a guy, he'll just come right out and do it out in the open. We talk to girls the same way. So don't over-analyze what guys say to you all the time. He meant what he said, and anything that could remotely be a compliment WAS intended to be a compliment (even if it's weird sometimes).

Guys know that girls like compliments, but it's not like he can say "great boobs!" or "fantastic ass" to you every day, so he has to find other nice things to say to you, and so guys often come up with awkward compliments about a girl's body, because they're trying to admire it without always seeming sexual (even though they probably WERE thinking sexually), so that the girl doesn't think he's a total pig. Most guys just aren't very good at it.

[Asker]

hahaha I love your answer. so what you're saying is what he said was in admiration of my legs? thanks for your answer!

[MrOracle]

Yes, exactly. He thinks your legs are hot and sexy, but he was trying to say that in a non-pervy way. Except his guy-brain has no experience thinking of girls in a non-pervy way, so his compliment didn't come out quite right.

[DutchAtheist]

Guys can be kind of awkward when it comes to giving compliments.

I would say that basically anything that a guy says about your body or personality that doesn't sound like it was meant as an insult or worry should be taken as a compliment.

We know we have to say something but often we pick the wrong way of saying it.

"You have strong legs" tells you that he has been noticing your legs and they move him enough to say something about it. "Strong" might suggest "big and masculine" to you but as a guy I think he means well by it. Just poor choice of words.

[Asker]

great answer :)

[peace-love-couture]

I think it depends on whether you view that as a positive or negative

My boyfriend says that to me and pinches my legs/thighs when he says it, but then he'll also turn around and say I have soft arms lmao

The legs thing does not bother me but the arms thing makes me wanna work out more

I'd say take it as a compliment, since it wasn't negative

[Funerestle]

Take it as a complement... strong legs on a girl is a turn on... my wife has amazingly strong legs, and she uses them to lock on me when we play fight, and she loves it knowing at times I either have to give up or tap out if she gets me in one her leg sciissir headlock.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand why you would feel weird about it. What's to feel weird. Do you never get compliments about your legs, or even in general?

Why do you feel weird about it?

[Asker]

I guess dutchatheist below hit the nail on the head, "strong" suggest masculine to me. I do get compliments on my legs and I do have strong legs, I guess it was just weird for him to say it?

[Opinion Owner]

Why though?

You're still not answering why it's weird for him to say that?

[Asker]

Oh I thought I did. It was weird because I was dragging a cooler to the beach and he was holding something and he said "it's a good thing we're holding this stuff because we probably have the strongest legs here" and it felt more like he was saying I was strong in a masculine way than trying to pay a compliment to me. He just brought it to my attention and I wasn't sure where it was coming from

[Opinion Owner]

So do you think he think's you're unattractive because of it?

[Asker]

maybe? he and I have been hooking up sporadically for the last year almost but there was this petite girl there that kept flirting with him and I just wasn't sure what he meant by that

[Opinion Owner]

so your a little jealous

[Asker]

not really. it was more so for anthropological research in regard to him, like does he prefer petite girls or more toned/athletic-y/curvy girls like me? that's all. like was what he said supposed to be a good thing or was it a bad thing? does that make sense? it wasn't an outright "you're beautiful" or "you're hot," (which he's told me before but all guys say sh*t like that when sleeping with a girl) it was more general, so I was just curious

[Opinion Owner]

iy wasn't meant as a compliment. mr. oracle is wrong

[Opinion Owner]

it*

[Asker]

okay so what was it meant as?

[Opinion Owner]

it's meant as it appears. that you have strong muscles in your leg, that's all

[Anonymous]

that was an awkward comment but defintely a compliment.

[Anonymous]

ye, he was paying you a compliment.

[Cottoncandydreams]

yes

[Anonymous]

Yes. It is