As someone who’s been a wallflower since his first co-ed school dance 20 years ago, I feel like I’m an authority on the subject. Although we might not be the life of the party, there are a bunch of reasons you should get to know the people who choose to stay away from the dance floor:
1. We hate small talk
If you engage in a conversation with a wallflower, be prepared for some thought-provoking dialogue. We absolutely hate talking about the weather, or about “the big game last night.” We’d rather get to know people on a much deeper level. Feel free to discuss your interests, passions, hopes and dreams with us. We won’t judge you; we’re genuinely interested in getting to know as much about everyone and everything the world has to offer.
2. We’re shy around large groups, but fun in small circles
Large groups can be intimidating, especially to wallflowers who tend to march to the beat of their own drum. We avoid crowds because we feel like we don’t fit in with the masses. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We embrace our weirdness, and actively seek out others who feel the same way. Once we latch on to someone, we try to make the connection last. If you’re in our inner circle, know we genuinely care about you.
3. We’re awkward in unfamiliar situations
Since we’re not well-versed in small talk, and hate being in large groups, we’re just not “good” in those situations. We’re the type of people that will say “You too” when a ticket-taker says “Enjoy the movie!” We just don’t come prepared for certain situations, so you need to be prepared to be embarrassed by our ridiculous social gaffes. Sorry, but it comes with the territory.
4. We can shed our wallflower persona at times
When the mood strikes us, and when we’re around the right group of people, we do enjoy being the center of attention. The situation has to be one in which we’re incredibly comfortable, of course. We have to be confident that we’re pretty good at whatever we’re doing, too. So, don’t expect us to get up and do some wacky dance just for fun if we can’t dance. But if someone breaks out a guitar and we happen to be secretly good at it, we might just take the spotlight for a little while.
5. We don’t mind being passive observers
We actually like being on the outside looking in. Most wallflowers are writers or artists who enjoy analyzing events rather than directly experiencing them. We’re the ones creating poems, articles, and paintings to memorialize special occasions for everyone to enjoy forever. We can live vicariously through our friends or peers, and then recreate the experience through our own chosen media.
6. We don’t need to be out all night
We can go out and have a good time, but we usually want to leave before the night gets a little too crazy. It just doesn’t appeal to us to “keep the party going” just for the sake of staying out. Usually, by about midnight or 1AM, we’re ready to get some shut eye. Like Ted says in How I Met Your Mother: Nothing good happens after 2AM.
7. We’re ambiverts
We’re just as happy staying in as we are going out. Sometimes that might jibe with our friends’ plans of being out all night (see above), but after a long week at work, sometimes we want to spend Friday night curled up with a nice book. We need to recharge, and sometimes we view going out as another chore that we’d rather not do. On the other hand, there are nights when we get stir crazy and need to show face in public for at least a little while.
8. We surround ourselves with people we care about
Like I said, if you’re in our inner circle, consider yourself loved. We don’t need to have a ton of friends, so if we consider you one, you should know you’re one of a select few. We most likely find you incredibly interesting, and fun to be around. You also help us feel comfortable in situations in which we usually aren’t. So, thanks for sticking by us!
