Can a girl chime in a bit here?

Um. Just approach us. We won't bite. Honestly, the worst things you can do are to seem too nervous---it's a huge turn-off if the guy looks like he's going to pass out, or worse, is doing that panicked grin that makes even the nicest, sweetest and gentlest of people look like a serial killer (you know, lips drawn back tight against your teeth, eyes wide, mouth dry as a bone, that one!)--or else seem over-rehearsed: going into some kind of spiel may be soothing to you, but it tends to make us uneasy--is this some kind of game to him? Is he a serial killer picking up his next target, and this little speech is the routine he feels compelled to go through?

It's not right that we have to worry about things like that, but we do--something like 1 million women are murdered every year in the U.S alone. Not being cautious enough about guys that seem 'off' can mean the difference between going home for wine with our friends, and getting dumped by the highway inside a suitcase.

1 million! yikes