People always tell me that I look like the nicest person ever and also that they were really intimidated by me at first. I hear this from acquaintances, girl friends, guy friends, boyfriends/exes. This is kinda frustrating and perplexing for me, since I intentionally go out of my way to be approachable and don’t want to scare people off (growing up, a lot of people misunderstood me for being shy). I don’t have rbf, I have a baby face, I smile and laugh really easily, and my aesthetic is very soft, feminine, and colorful. Everyone says I’m super approachable and nice, but I do end up being the one having to initiate friendships and interactions most of the time.
When I try to ask how exactly I’m intimidating, nobody can really describe why. I’m not sure if it’s something that I need to fix that I’m doing unconsciously, and it honestly bothers me a lot because I do think my social skills and self-awareness are my greatest strengths. I feel like I’m already doing the best I can to not come off as intimidating while still being authentic, and have no idea where this feeling of intimidation could be coming from. And logically, I feel like it makes no sense to be both very approachable and intimidating? Isn’t that contradictory?
Has anyone experienced something similar or have any ideas?