FOR Eunice Sulaiman, 23, being able to start a conversation with a male stranger is part of female equality.
“I don’t see anything wrong with striking up a conversation with a guy. In fact, I’ve done it many times while travelling in a train or hanging out in a club.
And most of the time, the response has been positive.
“It’s also quite the norm among my girlfriends to do the same. I think it’s okay as long as you don’t throw yourself at him,” says the personal stylist.
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Eunice Sulaiman, 23
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Eunice says she would not hesitate to compliment a guy on his shoes or comment about a book he was reading.
“I pick something interesting about them or what they have, and take it from there.
Sometimes, I just start chatting about general topics with whoever looks interesting.
“The opening lines would be, ‘where are you from?’, ‘what do you do?’ or ‘do
you live around here?’
“I normally ask for their number before they ask for mine, so I have the upper hand. That way, I can decide whether I want to take the friendship to the next level or not.”
Has she ever been rejected?
“There was this one time that I asked a shy guy to a prom but he turned me down because he claimed to have a girlfriend.
“So far, no one has been rude or aggressive when approached.
“Of course, I’m not so inconsiderate as to disturb or bother someone who is reading intensely or fidgeting with his phone.”
Eunice says safety is still of utmost importance when approaching a stranger.
“Undoubtedly, it’s better to go out with friends. That way, if the situation gets out of hand, you can escape by saying that you are there with other people and rather spend time with them.
“There have been instances where the guy misunderstands friendliness for a signal that you want more from the conversation. If that happens, it’s best to make your intentions clear.”
And what do her parents have to say about it?
“My mum encourages me to mingle and get to know more people.”
Although she hasn’t given it any serious thought, Eunice says she would not hesitate to propose marriage if she thought the guy would say “yes”.
