text: As a man, I would feel flattered if a woman asked me out - assuming, of course, that I already liked her in the first place and was just too nervous to ask her.  When guys ask someone out, we're taking a big jump.  We hope you'll say yes and that the jump will have been worth it.  However, when you say no, we feel embarassed for having jumped in the first place.  When the woman asks the man out, it saves us from having to jump at all.  However, now you are taking the risk.  I think we are all afraid of being rejected, of having someone not like us.  Asking someone out and hearing the person say yes is one of the biggests leaps in this area.  But, if you already like the person, hopefully that will give you enough courage to ask.