You see it all the time on reddit. A girl will ask guys what they think about her making the first move. She gets bombarded with comments supporting the idea and telling her to go for it, and that guys love it when girls take initiative.

Then when you ask a girl who has done it before what her experience is, more often than not it's largely negative. She says doing so made her feel desperate and that the guy wasn't as interested in her because of it. There's a huge disconnect between stated desires and what happens in reality here. Surely someone has to be lying, or at least wrong.

But both statements are true. Guys generally DO like being approached, but things also tends to go nowhere more frequently when it happens that way. The reason for this is due to WHO is involved in each of these scenarios. Here's the best way I can outline it.

1. Women may not realize how frequently an approach results in rejection- whether it happens then and there or it's simply ceasing contact after exchanging information.
2. Most men are not accustomed to saying "no" to romantic advances. An interested woman can become a number of things-- a girlfriend, a FWB, a friend, or a one night stand. A man is more likely to say yes even if his interest level is not that high. If he finds out her intentions are more than casual, he has no reason to humor her at all anymore.
3. THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT- Even women who are okay with approaching do not do so as frequently as men do. Most only do so when they see a guy they find IRRESISTIBLE and can't pass up the opportunity. The problem is that irresistible men are sought after by other women as well. The approaches of women often fail not because of the maneuver itself, but because they involve guys who are so appealing that a woman will swallow her pride and make the first move just to give herself a chance with him.
4. Like women, men DO actually like being approached. Commenters on reddit aren't bluffing. But approaching doesn't RAISE a woman's value, and an approach from someone not attractive enough serves as nothing more than flattery. It doesn't matter how ballsy you are if you can't measure up to other women he may meet.