I agree. Some women are so lame. We need to learn how to accept a compliment without analyzing it to death. Bottom line, women analyze *everything* to death. Guilty as charged! Maybe because we have hidden meanings in the things we say, we assume that men do, too (of course, I'm making gross generalizations here). Alas, nobody has made any postive comments about my ass. Not recently; not ever! Sigh.

Dude, she just had a baby! Of course she's sensitive! And she said she was being too sensitive and then she followed it up with revelling in the compliment.

True. Maybe I shouldn't have used her example, specifically. But it still chaps my overdeveloped ass.

Also, what would have happened if he hadn't complimented her? She would have thought that he didn't find her attractive at all, and that could have been another issue.

How far back did you read? Because I don't think if he hadn't complimented her she would have thought anything.

I read your apology for using this (bad) example, but I would like to see a more fleshed out version of this topic. From a man's perspective.

This particular topic with these particular people? Or something more general?

Something more general. I notice you started a new category. What are you main "gripes with women"? And why does it bother you when we are the teensiest bit offended when you say "You ass is looking great now!" It's the "now" that bugs.

I can see how the "now" might bug. But usually there is no "now", in my experience. It's just an extra opening of the eyes, a softening of the exterior and a regular compliment. "Your X is looking great." Yet even that makes problems. And some would say that it us that "make" women suspicious and insecure. That, in turn, makes me suspicious.

I can say from my view, that I was very unused to hearing compliments, as Mr. B rarely threw me a bone. So, if you don't hear them often and then all of a sudden hear them, it is a bit suspicious. And, sometimes, it's context... I don't know, I just started getting compliments and am just starting to get used to it. So, my comments may not even fit in... heh. Some women may even be uncomfortable with it. Who knows - we're odd creatures. Each of us is different, but I have to admit La is right, we analyze EVERYTHING to death. "Oh, he did the up'n'down look... he smiled at me twice... he said 'your ass looks great now'... what did he mean by that?" Yeah, we're nuts.

Well, by now, you would think that women would be thankful that we tend towards not saying anything unless it is worth saying, and meaning what we say. Of course, men try to cover up affairs with compliments all the time, so maybe there is something to be said.
Someone said to me that if, in the general case, someone says something like, "You didn't like X before?" that the best response to this is, "Did you?" Chances are, someone who doubts you when giving a compliment didn't like whatever it was before, and probably doesn't now. They are taking their frustrations out on you, which isn't fair.