❤ Signs you're in the friendzone + how to get out of it
Hmm. This means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I'll be the first to admit that a lot of the common female language flew right over my head (I could NEVER relate to the nebulously categorized group we call 'female'), but I consider myself... feminine, at least. So.
You said she was perfect. I suppose a large part of this is tone and situation. Whereas after a moment where she flaunted her skills and/or interests, it'd be reasonable for her to be flustered, flattered, or honeyed, if it was said out of the blue with equal sincerity, it depends VERY heavily on how close you are to her.
Say you're her good friend, maybe with romantic inclinations towards her that she may or may not return. Everyone handles and expresses their grapple with affection in unique ways (yes, even that big old mystery of individuality we all simplify into 'girls' - I hope I'm not being too condescending!), which could mean one of countless things. The most likely are that she's not taking it very seriously but is flattered, in a shallow sense, and the other is that she really, really doesn't know how to handle being told she's perfect (and who does?) and is instead expressing what she can as best as she can. Namely, that it's a very cute white lie. It is.
Of course, if you're just an acquaintance, it doesn't change much. If you're in a relationship with her, it's more likely to be the first of the two.
Now, all of that wasn't accounting for the second point I brought up - circumstance. But the nice thing about bouncing around the room is that at this point, having established the two most likely scenarios, is that I don't have to explain all that again. She just did something cool? She might actually be seriously flattered, if somewhat flustered. She just said something interesting? She might be genuinely flattered, but is more likely to be flustered and unsure. It's random? It's probably very confusing to hear, and she might dwell on it, and not specifically in a good way.
Wow, that goes on for a long while. I guess the best bit of advice I can give you is to ask her. You know, bring it up, mention you're curious about what she meant. She'll probably just tell you that she's serious, she thought it was cute, and if asked why - well, why's anything cute? It just is. But I don't know her. I'm going off how I think people behave. I could very well be very wrong.
TL;DR: It depends on a lot of things, and the meaning's on a spectrum from 'she shrugged it off' to 'it freaked her out'. Best of fortune.
What kind of reaction were you expecting? Did you want her to lower her eyelashes and tremble with the force of your approbation? Did you want her to say that you are also perfect?
Philosophers have argued for millennia whether anything is perfect. You could have chosen a more accessible compliment.
The good news is she said it was cute. I would have rolled my eyes and said something sarcastic.
Next time try something a little more specific. Preferably not appearance related. You get extra credit for compliments that have nothing to do with how she looks.
"What you said before was really funny. I would never have thought of that."
"You're so good at biology, could you help me with my homework?"
But if you must comment on her overwhelming beauty, "You look great today" isn't as good as mentioning something particular, like "Wow, that color makes your eyes look so (whatever color her eyes are) it's amazing." This is just an example.
If you want to go even further than a basic compliment, you can keep going however you began. In this context, you were staring into her eyes so "I feel like I'm being hypnotized" would be the next step. It's corny, but you can work with it. Besides, you already established a precedent of exaggeration.
The point is, saying "You're perfect!" doesn't give her anywhere to go, nor does it express anything other than you want to compliment her in general.
Still, like I said, she responded positively so next time should be easier. Good luck! :)
