History Main / CannotTalkToWomen

* ''Series/RedDwarf'': The ''TongueTied'' song as performed by the Cat and cast. (Originally used in the radio show ''Radio/SonOfCliche'')

* [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] but Leon Kennedy in the ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil2Remake'' has shades of this, he’s as cool as a cucumber when talking to Marvin Branagh or Ben Bertolucci but is notably more awkward and shy around Claire Redfield (as seen in the fire escape cutscene) and Ada Wong, as he stumbles over his words while talking to them and gestures with his hands in {{Adorkable}} fashion. In this version Leon is just taken aback at Ada [[ShutUpKiss suddenly kissing him]] not [[BigDamnKiss responding to it]] like in the original and becomes very quiet afterwards only responding in brief sentences. [[spoiler: This is because he’s finally concluded that Ada was using him and [[CharacterDevelopment speaks to her with full stern confidence]] after Annette Birkin confirms his suspicion]].

* Shang from ''Disney/{{Mulan}}'' can talk to Mulan, even about emotional things--''[[SweetPollyOliver when she's disguised as a man]]''. When she's unmasked, however, he quickly develops a crush on her and turns into a giant {{Adorkable}} stuttering mess when she's around.

** Lon'qu is the most notable example. It's initially PlayedForLaughs, but several of his supports open up his DarkAndTroubledPast, making it a lot less funny: it's a rare case of ''trauma'' actually factoring into his fear. [[spoiler:His childhood sweetheart ''and'' OnlyFriend, Ke'ri, was murdered in front of him [[HeroicSacrifice in an attempt to protect him]], and his failure to protect her stemmed the fear that [[CartwrightCurse any woman he'd get close to would eventually be killed]].]] The result of this is him acting cold towards just about everyone, and every time he interacts with a female character, he gets so unnerved that he [[SuddenlyShouting tends to shout at random.]] His prospective love interests have to work ''very'' had to get to speak to him in normal terms, and if playing as a female [[PlayerCharacter Avatar]], he has [[DevelopersForesight an extremely low chance of greeting her in the Barracks unless she marries him]].

** The reigning champ before some CharacterDevelopment was [[BeleaguredAssistant Moloch]] [[TheIgor von Zinzer]], who [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080220 was so smitten with Sanaa Wilhelm]] that he managed to ''injure'' himself when trying to talk with her.

->''"There are so many girls in there, and I can't... I '''can't''' talk to them. So... I sit out here... and I wait until they leave."''

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Rincewind is mentioned to be a rarity among wizards, in that he can talk to a woman without needing a cold shower and a lie-down after. However, if the subject turns to sex, he's completely out of his depth (wizards as a whole aren't supposed to marry or rather have sex, as this increases the chances of a [[PhysicalGod sourcerer]] being born). In later books this is more or less dropped, as wizards become either more concerned with their next meal or the Disc equivalent of computer geeks who have trouble relating to any non-wizard regardless of gender.

* In ''Literature/TheGoblinEmperor'' Maia notes that, having grown up in isolation, he has no experience in talking to noble ladies. (Female servants seem to be no problem, he met some of those.) Fortunately, the first lady he is introduced to at court is also one of the most fashionable, beautiful women there, and after somehow getting through a conversation with ''her'' without completely making a fool of himself, he is much less intimidated by other ladies than he might have been.

* The only girl that Literature/HarryPotter is comfortable talking to is Hermione Granger, because they're LikeBrotherAndSister. His attempt to ask Cho Chang to the Yule Ball is an EpicFail.

* Chandler in ''Series/{{Friends}}'', DependingOnTheWriter. "The One With The Cheap Wedding Dress" (and ''only'' that one) had him completely incapable of talking to a pretty girl. He thought being with Monica would make this easier, since there was no question of romance to complicate things, but it didn't.

* Charlie Brown from ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' may be one of the biggest examples, at least when it comes to girls he actually likes (as opposed to ones like Lucy and Sally, who are mean to him). For four whole decades, he tried to bring himself to introduce himself to the Little Red Haired Girl, but always chickened out. He was a little braver late in the strip's run when he met Peggy Jean, but he still was shy and nervous around her, and nothing serious ever developed. (Even if Charles Shultz had not passed away, he said he never planned to change the strip so dramatically as to actually change Charlie Brown's character, preferring to keep him [[{{Everyman}} the way he was.)]]

* An unusual example in Oliver Goldsmith's 1773 comedy ''She Stoops To Conquer'' where the male character, Charles Marlow, plays this trope straight when it comes to upper-class women but subverts it with those of the lower classes. (The title comes from the fact the principle female character, Kate Hardcastle, whose father is trying to arrange a marriage between her and Charles, pretends to be a servant in order to win his affections. Needless to say, HilarityEnsues...)

* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3D'', it's ''Riku'' of all people who shows this. He gets utterly flabbergasted talking to Shiki, she even lampshades it. Turns out those fanfics of him being smooth were horribly wrong.

* When Guybrush first meets Elaine in ''VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland'', he is unable to do anything except utter random syllables. In their second meeting he acquits himself better, but the conversation quickly turns to increasingly saccharine pet names, which [[SickeninglySweethearts in a way is worse]]. He relapses into gibberish in later games whenever a woman is upset with him, indicating Guybrush just cannot take a woman's scorn.

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Cloud was too shy to talk to his crush Tifa when he was a little kid, and would watch her from outside her house instead. He seems to be able to talk to her by the time he's a teenager, but is unable to express his feelings for her until [[RelationshipUpgrade the night under the Highwind]].

** Agnum doesn't have any problems talking to women, until he tries flirting with them, which is when [[CannotSpitItOut he chokes.]] He unlocks the "Shy Boy" trait once he admits it.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss''. While Guy Cecil is terrified at the thought of being touched by women, he has no issue with talking to them, and is actually something of a natural charmer.

* In ''WebVideo/DoctorHorriblesSingAlongBlog'', Billy in the beginning cannot speak to Penny (Laundry Day/ See you there/ Under things, tumbling/Want to say/ love your hair/ there I go, mumbling). This may or may not apply to all women, as Penny is the only female character in the first two acts.

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* Ren Hojo, one of the protagonists in ''VideoGame/FatalFrameMaidenOfBlackWater'', is very uneasy when interacting with women, often unable to look them into their eyes while talking to them. The only exception to this is Rui, his assistant, who, due to spending much time at his residence because [[MenCantKeepHouse he's bad at taking care of himself]], notices that he talks in his sleep when he has nightmares, deduces that his nightmares may be the reason this trope applies to him, and one of her journals ends with the question: "Are the women he's dreaming about really that frightening?"

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Rincewind is mentioned to be a rarity among wizards, in that he can talk to a woman without needing a cold shower and a lie-down after. However, if the subject turns to sex, he's completely out of his depth (wizards as a whole aren't supposed to marry or rather have sex, as this increases the chances of a [[PhysicalGod sourcerer]] being born).

-->'''Boomstick''': (after Wiz does the lowdown on HarryPotter's Firebolt's acceleration) That's faster than Wiz gets shot down by a woman!

* ''VideoGame/ShiningResonance'':
** Agnum doesn't have any problems talking to women, until he tries flirting with them, which is when [[CannotSpitItOut he chokes.]] He unlocks the "Shy Boy" trait once he admits it.
** [[ChildProdigy Rapple]] has the same problem when it comes tto the innkeeper's adopted daughter, Primula. It's obvious to everyone that he has a crush on her, except he usually ends up insulting her instead. At one point, he asks Yuma for advice since he [[ChickMagnet has several girls vying for his affections.]] But Yuma dodges the question by saying he isn't really sure, either.

* ''VideoGame/ShiningResonance'':
** Agnum doesn't have any problems talking to women, until he tries flirting with them, which is when [[CannotSpitItOut he chokes.]] He unlocks the "Shy Boy" trait once he admits it.
** [[ChildProdigy Rapple]] has the same when it comes tto the innkeeper's adopted daughter, Primula. It's obvious to everyone that he has a crush on her, except he usually ends up insulting her instead. At one point, he asks Yuma for advice since he [[ChickMagnet has several girls vying for his affections.]] But Yuma dodges the question by saying he isn't really sure, either.

* ''VideoGame/ShiningResonance'':
** Agnum doesn't have any problems talking to women, until he tries flirting with them, which is when [[CannotSpitItOut he chokes.]] He unlocks the "Shy Boy" trait once he admits it.
** [[ChildGenius Rapple]] has the same when it comes tto the innkeeper's adopted daughter, Primula. It's obvious to everyone that he has a crush on her, except he usually ends up insulting her instead. At one point, he asks Yuma for advice since he [[ChickMagnet has several girls vying for his affections.]] But Yuma dodges the question by saying he isn't really sure, either.

* Double D from ''WesternAnimation/EdEddAndEddy'' has serious problems speaking to girls, which becomes a key plot point in "May I Have This Ed?", as he tries to avoid going to the prom at all costs.

* Soos from ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', as it turns out when he starts looking for a girlfriend. He freezes up and spouts whatever first pops into his mind, leading to pick-up lines such as "Your face is good! [[CaptainObvious I'm a Soos!]]". It takes the equally shy Melody to coax him out of it.

->''"There are so many girls in there, and I can't... I can't talk to them. So... I sit out here... and I wait until they leave."''

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** Lon'qu is the most notable example. It's initially PlayedForLaughs, but several of his supports open up his DarkAndTroubledPast, making it a lot less funny: it's a rare case of ''trauma'' actually factoring into his fear. [[spoiler:His childhood sweetheart ''and'' OnlyFriend, Ke'ri, was murdered in front of him [[HeroicSacrifice in an attempt to protect him]], and his failure to protect her stemmed the fear that any woman he'd get close to would eventually be killed.]] The result of this is him acting cold towards just about everyone, and every time he interacts with a female character, he [[SuddenlyShouting tends to shout at random.]] His prospective love interests have to work ''very'' had to get to speak to him in normal terms, and if playing as a female [[PlayerCharacter Avatar]], he has [[DevelopersForesight an extremely low chance of greeting you in the Barracks unless you marry him]].