Why do men invade womens' personal space?

i met a guy recently and right away as we started talking, he stood really close to me. he turned to face me and was listening very intently and stood really close - i want to say only a foot or less away from me? i'm from the midwest and usually in casual convo we give more space than that ! i noticed it right away and although it didn't bother me too bad and i didn't step away, i though it was a little odd. do men do this on purpose to give you the signal they are interested or something? i'm just not sure what it meant. i read a few things about body language and they mostly said people do this type of thing in order to dominate another person. i myself never get inside another person's space unless i know them really well - but maybe that's just me. :)

Once in Sociology class I saw a hilarious time lapse (speeded up) video of a school function which paired "white" and "hispanic" students. (If I'm using non-PC language, then send me hate mail. I don't intend any offence here.)

Throughout the video, the H students kept "closing the distance" so as to be close enough to talk -- that is almost close enough to be elbow to shoulder. The W students kept "maintaining personal space" -- about fingertip to shoulder -- and backing away. By the end of the film the center of the room was empty. All the W's had their backs to the wall.

I'm just presenting the fact of cultural differences and not saying that this guy wasn't being a creep. You were there and you'd know.

Yes, some people WILL deliberately invade your personal space and it's usually a form of aggression. Never be too shy to say "Please, I could understand your words much better if you'd step back a bit" or even "Why are you standing so close? Do I need to speak more loudly?"

That isn't acceptable at all in the midwest. Unless the woman invites it or if the woman knows the man and doesn't mind. You have every right to tell a man to not stand in your personal space if you do not invite him there.

Insecurity, uneducated, ignorant etc take your pick

Why do women want "equality" in all the good things (sports, careers, etc) but not in the bad things (being jumped, bullied, abused, etc)?
Perhaps neither question has an answer.

i do it... only when im dating a girl.... but if they are not my girlfriend... i keep my distance

Men and women just have different idea of how much personal space they need - same goes for different cultures and different parts of the country. Get used to it!

Maybe he's just a close talker. Does he do it to other people too?

Maybe its just because hes interested in you and suppose you liked him a lot and he was putting a lot of space between you two, you would feel like he was holding back. you probably just REALLY interest him and he thinks you like it.

Americans, compared to Europeans, have a HUGE personal space!!!!!!!!!!! If the guy is from another culture, he may not recognize the amount of space you need. It is up to YOU to define that boundary. Since you did not during this encounter, he is likely to approach you in the same manner the next time.