Except that they're not doing nothing, are they?

They're affecting an open invitation to approach. They're putting themselves in your path if they're interested in you.

They're trying to get your attention by smiling and being flirty with their eyes or just generally making eye contact and acknowledging your presence.

This is the way it's always been and those signals used to be obvious and more than enough until y'all let yourselves get bamboozled by all the porn, which is based on male fantasy over reality, and PUA culture which convinced you that getting a yes is simply a numbers game.

Clearly, the only numbers affected by PUA for most men is the increase in rejections.

My grandma got my papa's attention by visiting his service station (back when gas stations were full service) every week till he noticed her. Example of putting yourself in a guys path.

My other grandma got my other papa's attention through his mother at church. Example of putting yourself in someone's path by introduction.

My mom got my dad's attention by smiling at him over the food line at college as part of work/study. Example of smiling and eye contact.

My aunt got her boyfriend's attention by asking him to open the horse gate for her at a horse show so she wouldn't have to dismount. Then she smiled at him and said something flirty.

I got my ex's attention by eye contact and signalling openness to approach as well. He actually wasn't the guy I was initially interested in. The guy is was aiming for was just as obtuse as you seem to be. But, the ex approached and he didn't look or act repulsive so things went forward from there.

Story has it one my great grandmothers or great grandmothers attracted her husband by hitting him in the head with a turnip. Love at first vegetable.

There's a young woman at work, an underling, who's been flirting with a guy, another underling, at work for weeks. She's about to give up. He's either not interested or simply hadn't noticed. Probably the latter as he too, has complained about how unfair it is men have to take all the "risk" of rejection. We just laughed. She comes by his desk every day. She's gotten reprimanded twice for being off task to come say hello to him. But he's to stuck up or self absorbed to give her the time of day.

Men get invitations and chances plenty. You just think you're too good for who's making themselves available to you.

You want hot chicks to approach you.

Not women, writ large. Young, fit, hot chicks. Cause you've got 'preferences'.