1. Because It's 2013

I made this point already, but it's honestly one of the best reasons to make the first move. It's a modern age. By all means, if you're the type of girl who feels more comfortable with men who make the first move, don't change yourself – I'm not advocating that. However, if you've been chafing at the bit waiting for the men or women you like to step up and ask you out, why wait?

2. Because Equality is Awesome

Besides, equality is awesome – and it hasn't come far enough yet. You deserve to get paid as much as any man, you deserve as much respect as any man, and you deserve all the same chances available to men. The reverse is true too, so why should guys bear the brunt of the responsibility? If all things are equal, let the guys sweat it a bit; let them worry if you're going to ask for a date.

3. Because It Doesn't Mean What You've Been Told

Many girls and women have regrettably been told that making the first move makes them come off as desperate, needy, and even masculine. I suppose there are some men who feel that way, but doesn't that seem antiquated to you, and a little insulting? Who comes up with those kinds of labels anyway? You're not desperate if you ask out someone you like, and you're certainly not butch or masculine. You're a woman and a person who knows what she wants. The end.

4. Because You Can't Always Wait around

The world is moving at an increasingly fast paced. While slow courtships certainly have their place, there's no need to wait around forever to see if a guy is going to ask you out before the next ice age. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet. If you're flirting with someone and you're equally into each other, why wait around?

5. Because Confidence is Sexy

Even if you're worried that you'll come off as too pushy by making the first move, you can't argue that confidence is sexy. When you're confident enough to ask out the guy or girl you've been fantasizing over, that's just attractive. To me it says that you're assertive and self assured, not clingy or confrontational.

6. Because It's Inspiring

Besides that, you'll inspire others if you take the initiative. You may inspire other women to make the first move themselves, and you'll even inspire the guys around you. They'll see that there's no harm in being shy or unsure themselves, because there are women out there who are perfectly comfortable with making the first approach.

7. Because It's Your Life

At the end of the day, however, the best reason to make the first move – or to wait – is simple: it's your life. Do what makes you comfortable. Take the path that feels right to you. Choose what works and go for it, even it means being assertive and going after what you want.

Making the first move is no longer the sole domain of men. You know what you want; going after it does not make you seem desperate, needy, clingy, masculine (that's particularly laughable), or forceful. It makes you simply you; a woman alive and thriving in a modern age. Have you ever asked someone out before? How did it go?