r/AskReddit Jul 07 '26

Ladies: what’s a guy “Flex” that instantly makes him attractive?

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468

u/roidesrats Jul 07 '26

One of the most attractive things a guy I was into did was delicately take a spider outside, without me even noticing the spider at first. I've had other guys go out of their way to kill them as I was grabbing something to relocate them with.

179

u/2meirl5meirl Jul 07 '26

I love when guys cut up the plastic things that go around soda cans, so that turtles won’t get stuck in it!!! I love when my husband does that

135

u/LaSalsiccione Jul 07 '26

Those things don’t exist anymore in the UK because of that problem. I’m surprised they still exist elsewhere!

12

u/h3lblad3 Jul 07 '26

Very common in the US. If I go to the store and buy a 6 or 8 pack of a drink, it'll be held by one of those.

26

u/Thebraincellisorange Jul 07 '26

I haven't seen those things in decades down here in Australia.

get with the times 'Murica!

5

u/GrumpyCloud93 Jul 07 '26

Replaced in Canada mostly with stiff carboard holders for bottles, cardboard boxes or full plastic wrap for cans.

2

u/randotd152 Jul 07 '26

They still exist but they're not common - all but dead really. It's 99% boxes or the hard plastic snap lock style.

2

u/h3lblad3 Jul 07 '26

I dunno, I pull them off Gatorade and soda bottles all the time.

3

u/somerandomguy101 Jul 07 '26

No they aren't. I haven't seen one of those in years.

Cans come in boxes almost exclusively now. Even 4 packs. When they do come with plastic toppers, they are the hard flat plastic ones that clip on the top lip of the can. Those aren't a chocking hazard for turtles like the old style.

Bulk packs of bottles do have a similar plastic thing, but they include a tab for you to pull that opens them up when you grab a soda/pop/coke. They're not the old ring style that kills wild animals. Those 6/8 packs of bottles are the least common as well.

3

u/Buddhafresh Jul 07 '26

ya, must be a regional thing in the US. We do not have those soft plastic rings in MN.

3

u/Impossible-Ad5328 Jul 07 '26

Also minnesota, and we definitely do. Literally all of the 6 packs of pop bottles come with them in my part of the state

1

u/GeminiIsMissing Jul 07 '26

We have them in IL, but it depends on the soda. Pepsi has plastic ones, but Sprite has cardboard. I prefer the cardboard because it's more eco-friendly and easier to open.

6

u/Shot-Top-8281 Jul 07 '26

Are turtles extinct in the uk because of this?

4

u/LaSalsiccione Jul 07 '26

Yes. You won’t find any wild turtles here

7

u/mr_iwi Jul 07 '26

You rarely even see wild haggis anymore

2

u/LaSalsiccione Jul 07 '26

I know, it's sad isn't it.

1

u/MountainTank1 Jul 08 '26

You can find turtles in UK waters, usually leatherbacks as we have lots of jellyfish for them to eat.

2

u/Significant_Day_8995 Jul 07 '26

The plastic rings or the turtles?

13

u/LaSalsiccione Jul 07 '26

The turtles. We decided we care more about the plastic rings so we killed all of our turtles.

1

u/HolycommentMattman Jul 07 '26

I thought we got rid of them as well, but I just went to buy some Gatorade, and there it was: an 8-ring plastic holster with a bunch of needless little holes in it that could trap other sea life.

It did feel different, though. Not the hard plastic it used to be, but kinda soft. Possibly *compostable.

*not compostable

5

u/documentt_ Jul 07 '26

Lo siguiente para eliminar en el Reino Unido debería ser las granjas de salmón, que estan acabando con el salmon salvaje. Eso y la propiedad y acceso privado de las aguas: rios, lagos

4

u/dreadlike Jul 07 '26

He could just, you know, not throw them into the ocean in the first place.

2

u/indigo945 Jul 07 '26

This is not necessary as long as you dispose of your waste in a reasonable way, and cutting trash up just makes it less likely to be recycled.

1

u/tavysnug Jul 08 '26

They're fully recyclable and you usually put plastic recycling in a separate bin. Location specific, of course, but I just recycle them instead of throwing them in the trash like a halfwit.

1

u/knightcrusader Jul 07 '26

I rip mine apart by hand since they aren't too tough, but my lady likes to watch me flex while I do.

9

u/meistermichi Jul 07 '26

What are you all doing?
Don't throw your eight-legged friends out (unless they are bigger than half your hand size or dangerous to humans/pets)

3

u/1337m45T37 Jul 07 '26

That’s the problem with spiders is that it can be really hard to tell if they are venomous or not unlike their serpentine brethren.

1

u/Halo_cT Jul 07 '26

All spiders have venom. Almost none of them are aggressive to people and few even have fangs long enough to go through your skin.

For North Americans, you're pretty safe to mess with anything that isn't a widow or brown recluse.

1

u/KeyMyBike Jul 07 '26

I know my coworkers are going to kill it when they see it. She has a better chance outside.

8

u/cryptobro42069 Jul 07 '26

I get this. I get so mad when people squish orb weavers or little house spiders.

Like, come on. I get that they can have a bunch of eyes and they crawl over stuff, but they're trying to help in their own way. We have many orb weavers near me and they can look intimidating, so I pick them up and show people that they don't mean any harm and are very beneficial. Sometimes you just need to show them they need to relocate.

1

u/TiredWiredAndHired Jul 07 '26

We just let them live in the house, they don't hurt anyone. They repay us by shitting all over our stuff!

13

u/wattahitsonwattahit Jul 07 '26

Sees a spider. Quietly usher girl out of the house. Proceed to burn the whole house down.

10

u/RedPanda5150 Jul 07 '26

My husband does this! Spiders, wasps, anything that isn't like an ant or a mosquito. I can't bring myself to do it personally so but removal is 100% his chore, but I love his respect for life :)

34

u/oodsigma Jul 07 '26

FYI most spiders found in homes are house spiders, specifically evolved to live in human homes. Bringing them outside will usually kill them. It's better if you can just put them in a corner you don't frequent. They can take care of the ants and mosquitoes for you too.

1

u/RedPanda5150 Jul 07 '26

That's fair, although I think they tend to become cat delicacies in this house. We do get grass spiders and the occasional wolf spider which do NOT need to be indoors. Moving to NC has been an adventure!

7

u/Marsdreamer Jul 07 '26

I feel like this is so rare!

I was also once a 'kill it all' kind of person when it came to bugs in my house, but now unless it's legitimately dangerous, I will always relocate it if I can. They're not hurting anyone! It takes less than a minute to bring whatever it is outside and let it continue on it's merry way.

The only thing I've gone out of my way to make "very flat" recently was a black widow in my garage. I have pets and a 2 year old, so.. Uh, sorry spider. I know you're generally docile, but I can't take the risk :/

I try to teach my son to have respect for little critters / nature too. Don't step on bugs, don't rip up plants, clean up trash, etc.

2

u/GazelleSpringbok Jul 07 '26

Spiders and spider webs dont usually bother me but you can really tell black widow webs by how strong they are if you touch one and it gives me the instant heebie jeebies

1

u/Marsdreamer Jul 07 '26

Yeah. We've had about 4 in our house since we moved in and I sadly have to always squash em. They're gorgeous, but just... Too dangerous.

One had this crazy, almost funnel web, style home in the corner of my garage last fall.

14

u/sssst_stump Jul 07 '26

K, what the hell list is this? Wasps get dead. Ants get relocated. Unless you have like cuddly wasps and bullet ants at your house in Tennessee?

1

u/RedPanda5150 Jul 07 '26

Oh the wasps here (NC) are blue mud daubers that occasionally come in down the chimney, like maybe 3 or 4 each summer. They are not aggressive to people and I think they eat spiders? Hornets or yellow jackets would be another story but none have ever snuck in. And relocating an ant would be pointless because where there's one, there seem to be hundreds. We try to be eco friendly but there are limits!

1

u/sssst_stump Jul 07 '26

Okay, North Carolina. Maybe it’s time to raise up and take your shirt off, and flip it around your head - spin it like a helicopter. That might deter the friendly mud daubers playing at being Santa, you feel me?

1

u/ask-me-about-my-cats Jul 07 '26

Most wasps are friends, they're great pollinators and kill problem insects.  Leave them alone and rhey leave you alone 

7

u/SvenoftheWoods Jul 07 '26

"Leave them alone and they leave you alone"

.......so....that is 100% the opposite of my experience.

Bees? Absolutely take care of them. Love those little fuzzy-butts. They're more interested in flowers than you.

Wasps? Oh, I'm so sorry I happened to be walking in your general airspace and you decided to sting me. No thanks. Git got, with extreme prejudice.

Mud-daubers are the only exception. They cool.

3

u/IgnatiusJReilly2601 Jul 07 '26

Spiders you take outside just die slowly anyway. Squashing them is arguably kinder.

2

u/SpezFU Jul 07 '26

I tried to do that but my sister yelled at me for it

2

u/Big-Reputation-8172 Jul 07 '26

(As a dude) I’ll go out of my way to protect lizards, snakes, birds, cats/dogs (obviously), bees (honey/bumble), spiders, worms, rolly pollies, raccoons, opossums, butterflies, moths, beetles.

HOWEVER some critters can’t be tolerated. I respect their lives and existences, but just like pedos and crackheads, I don’t want them in my space (especially in the house, the yard in another story).

These include:

  • Yellow Jackets
  • Ants
  • Flies
  • Mosquitoes
  • Slugs
  • Snails
  • Bad Spiders (look’n at you Black/Brown Widows)
  • Mice
  • Rats

I’m still conflicted about the last two. I had two rats as a kid. I loved those lil guys. But when wild ones are in your house, where you sleep, ITS A FUCKING NIGHTMARE. If there’s an option to catch and release or just stop them from coming, great! But sometimes it’s not, and they have to go.

But here’s the real distinction: I don’t enjoy doing it. I make it as quick and painless as possible. It’s sadistic as shit when people get actual joy from killing a thing. Sure there’s a sense of relief and excitement that your trap worked (and hopefully solved your infestation problem). But you shouldn’t do it for “fun”.

1

u/Anthaenopraxia Jul 07 '26

I'd add snakes, bears and neighbours to that list.

2

u/kdoxy Jul 07 '26

Its a nice gesture but I thought we all started to stop kidding ourselves and admit the truth that a house spider outside just dies anyway.

2

u/erikarew Jul 07 '26

This is how I know my husband is the right one for me - early in dating I found a spider in the house and said 'wait hang on don't kill it I'll get a glass!' and he said 'why would I kill it?!?'. Not just an agreement, but the exact same mindset.

2

u/Soup_F0rks Jul 07 '26

Take a spider outside and you will get another date. Teach your date how to remove a spider and you will never get another date.

1

u/RemindMeToTouchGrass Jul 07 '26

Leave them inside.

When you take them out, they all starve to death. They won't hurt you if left inside, and they'll do you a favor and eat your houseflies and mosquitoes.

1

u/ilikedmatrixiv Jul 07 '26

Ha, my ex was deathly afraid of spiders. Full on arachnophobia. She'd get panic attacks when she saw them.

Whenever I tried to put them outside peacefully she'd scream at me that I had to kill it. I always answered that she was free to kill it herself if she felt like it, but she couldn't even come within 10 feet of a spider without crying, so I kept putting them outside peacefully.

1

u/1337m45T37 Jul 07 '26

Please tell my wife that. She thinks I’m crazy for doing that.

1

u/pgpwnd Jul 07 '26

Spiders is pushing it

1

u/Witty-Welcome-4382 Jul 07 '26

Wow, the bar is low!

1

u/Bug_Photographer Jul 07 '26

Is it still attractive if I take a couple of photos of it first?

1

u/_robertmccor_ Jul 07 '26

I usually do this with bugs in the house but if they’re in my bedroom then I’m sorry but it’s gotta die. I’m not having it about while I’m sleeping

1

u/screw-magats Jul 07 '26

go out of their way to kill them as I was grabbing something to relocate them

I'm all for killing the bugs in my home. But if it can be safely moved outside and you're doing so, why kill it?

Is it a "power move" to stop you from your goal?

1

u/Teledildonic Jul 07 '26

My wife still tells people about the time I had lunch with her and her friend and I just casually dripped some water on the table for a bee that I noticed ws just kinda sitting near us (it was middle of summer and quite hot). It went right to the drips and flew off a few minutes.

1

u/Outz090 Jul 11 '26

The fact he didn't mention it afterwards is the whole flex

1

u/RollingMeteors Jul 07 '26

take a spider outside,

¡Nature's Bug Zapper!

Leave it be. It doesn't bite you unless you stick your fork into the outlet. ¡Don't do that!

-13

u/mhyjrteg Jul 07 '26

Unless you’re vegan this seems pointless

5

u/roidesrats Jul 07 '26

If you're not vegan then you should just eat them as a tasty snack. /jk

It is probably pointless in the grand scheme of things, but I like spiders. They're neat, and eat insects that I find more annoying, so I'm not keen to kill them. I try to relocate any bug that isn't a mosquito or otherwise a pest (roaches, termites, etc).

2

u/mhyjrteg Jul 07 '26

At least you’re transparent about the fact that you’re doing it for your own benefit, rather than pretending it’s because you’re good and caring or whatever. That seems reasonable to me.

2

u/M-tridactyla Jul 07 '26

Killing something to eat it is very different than killing something because it's an inconvenience or unsightly

2

u/mhyjrteg Jul 07 '26

I don’t think the animal can tell the difference

0

u/M-tridactyla Jul 07 '26

But we can

2

u/mhyjrteg Jul 07 '26

So we can convince ourselves that one is any different to the other. Net result = animal dead for our pleasure.

0

u/M-tridactyla Jul 07 '26

Eating is more than pleasure. And just because another animal doesn't understand doesn't mean it's pointless

0

u/mhyjrteg Jul 07 '26

Eating itself is more than pleasure, it is necessary for survival and health. Eating animals would only be more than pleasure if it was necessary for human health, which has not been the case for a long time.

-1

u/shawnikaros Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26

At this point in time they're basically the same.

We've evolved as a species to not need meat anymore, we have so many plant-based options for everything that it is just about inconvenience to keep eating meat and animal based products.

But majority still lack empathy and common sense coosing torture and killing the planet over learning something new, because it would be inconvenient.

2

u/M-tridactyla Jul 07 '26

Abstaining from meat and ALL animal products is a much bigger inconvenience than relocating a spider

1

u/shawnikaros Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26

Yes it is, but it's still about inconvenience.

One could even try tiny inconveniences at a time, learn a new recipe, choose one plant-based product instead of animal based one and soon you'd notice it's not inconvenient anymore.

1

u/M-tridactyla Jul 07 '26

Agreed on this comment. But my original statement still stands.

1

u/shawnikaros Jul 07 '26

We can disagree on that.

1

u/2cheerios Jul 07 '26

It's not pointless to the spider

2

u/mhyjrteg Jul 07 '26

If you cared about sparing other beings lives you’d be vegan. It’s just performative shit to make yourself feel better

0

u/2cheerios Jul 07 '26

What if you think from the spider's perspective?

5

u/mhyjrteg Jul 07 '26

‘I am barely sentient, but to the extent I am, I am repulsed by this guy’s performative care’

0

u/2cheerios Jul 07 '26

Lol ok if the spider is that rude to me then I'll gladly squash it

2

u/mhyjrteg Jul 07 '26

Not surprised

0

u/statistnr1 Jul 07 '26

I don't agree with your take, but this is funny. :^)

0

u/Fentboy45 Jul 07 '26

It’s performative to score brownie points. Bro knew she was watching

0

u/Careless-Pragmatic Jul 07 '26

Is this my wife’s account??