Directed towards the OP,
I cannot speak for all the women on this forum but I can speak for myself.
I tend to gravitate towards the shy type...
I am quiet and shy myself and I also tend to NOT want to be the center of attention, it is worse, I do not like for men to stare at me, it makes me feel uneasy..
I always respect a man whom holds him self with confidence but does not need to be the "attention *****" In my opinion men whom behave like this are inseure and need to have their ego's stroked ALL the time and I do not have the time nor the patience..lol..
With that said the thing that I feel stops "shy" guys is that they seldom approach and it is only when placed in certain social situations where they are forced to speak that you actually realize they are interested in you ( But this does not occur often)..