I’m a man. I often see discussions in various media about men being creeps but the definition is not clear to me.

Let me be clear: there are cases that are very clear cut (e.g., stalking, touching inappropriate areas of the body, etc etc.). This is obvious to me.

However, while approaching or “escalating” romantic interest, there is lots of advice to break the “touch barrier”, maintain eye contact, etc. Yet I see many women perceiving this as creepy. I don’t want to generalize, but this is what I see in a lot of media.

I would like to ask you: what makes a man a creep to you? Where does the line cross from attempting to approach / flirting to creepiness?

I want to learn this to know how to approach women better without violating someone’s boundaries. Yes I understand every women might be different here, hence the breadth of responses will be helpful. I’d appreciate judgement free comments. Thank you.