Cute or Creepy: Guys Who Use Emoticons

by Shallon Lester, Glamour

A guy who can express himself is high on my list of qualities I look for in future dates. It's just before "Watches Bachelor Pad with me without complaint" and just after "Can quote Tombstone." But the last few guys I've dated seem to think that using emoticons in texts is a substitute for actual vocabulary.

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Let me say up-front that I have no beef with emoticons. I've been known to throw around a smiley or a sad face on occasion, usually to convey that I was teasing or making a joke. But the :P and the ;) seem a little too cutesy-wootsey--even for a girly-girl like myself.

But two boys in my recent dating history, Bryan and Paul, routinely peppered every single text or email with emoticons of all varieties. Some I'd never even seen before! What does "O_o" mean? Or ": u"? I like to think that I have a pretty decent vocab, but I guess when it comes to symbols my range is pretty limited.

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I think of emoticons like salt and pepper-good in moderation, but gag-inducing if overused.

I have to say that the guys were just trying to be cute and sweet--I shouldn't knock them for that. And if they were just sticking to a :) here and there, no big deal. But the needlessly complex, 5-character emoticons? If a guy feels that's necessary, maybe we should just talk on the phone, right?

Where do you stand on the emoticon debate? Do you find it cute or creepy if a guy uses (and uses!) smileys? Is there a certain point when a guy should just transition to actual verbal conversations and save the winks for his little sister?


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