Why Your Dating Profile Sucks
- by Chaz, 16 hours ago
I run a blog called YourProfileSux.com, so, you see, I speak with some authority on the subject. After my divorce a few years ago, I decided to try online dating. Optimistically, I thought it would at least be an opportunity to get back on my feet relationship-wise without too much risk. I was right. Online dating not only introduced me to many women I never would have considered interesting (or interested, for that matter), but it also gave me a newfound confidence I never had in my prior, off-line dating life.
- I developed a sense of what I wanted in a partner.
- I got to practice being flirtatious without being creepy.
- I got to see what other people thought of themselves.
That last one was the most interesting to me. Because very few of us possess the kind of self-perception I believe is required to have a healthy dating life. What I mean by that is this:
The pictures you choose for your online dating profile say more about you than your profile ever could.
Now, I’m not talking about whether or not you’re objectively ‘pretty’ or ‘rugged’ or ‘fat’. I’m talking about the basics of representing yourself in your best light.
Here’s an example:
Now, I’m sure this gentleman is a terrific human being. He’s probably nice and funny and handsome and great in bed. But this picture says none of those things. This picture says “I have no friends and live with my mother and while she was out getting groceries I took my shirt off in her bathroom to photograph myself for a dating website.”
Why does it say that? Because:
- There is nothing lonelier looking than someone taking their own picture in a bathroom mirror.
- Correction: The only thing lonelier than someone taking their own picture in a bathroom mirror is the same picture taken in a public bathroom mirror.
- Dried flowers are the kiss of death. They’re dead flowers. What’s romantic about that? Dried flowers are the creative outlet of a post-menopausal woman. Not a vibrant man on the dating scene.
- You couldn’t be further away from that mirror, dude. Your mom ran out for a bit, her bathroom is the only one without month-old hard water stains on the mirror, so you ran in, pulled off your jammies top and flexed. But you’re not comfortable shirtless. That’s cool. How ’bout you leave your shirt on, then?
- Finally, we’ve all taken our own picture with a cell phone in a mirror. But this is a dating site. At least make it look like someone else took it, like you’re among friends. Or at least in society. Don’t post pictures that look like you’ve covered your windows with tin foil.
As many of you know, this is only the tip of the awful pic iceberg. We’ve all got stories, right? My next post is gonna target the ladies, so get ready.
