Face it fellas. Online dating is here to stay. A recent survey says approximately 49 million people in the U.S. have tried it and about half of these daters are women. Which means the dating pool is big, but it also means, so is the pool of competition. Yeah, your being compared to millions of other men. So how do you improve your chances to stand out in a sea of profiles? As with everything else there is an etiquette to it. From bare-chested selfies to spelling & grammar, a few women tell us what NOT to do. Read on for some no no’s that will definitely make them swipe LEFT.
Photo No No’s
It all starts with the photo and there is a good, bad and just plain ugly way to go about yours.
“Just a photo from the neck down. Usually means he’s married and doesn’t want anyone to know who he is.” – Jennifer, 30, San Francisco
“Obviously cutting out your ex from your profile pic or speaking bad about an ex.” – Michelle, 38, Boston
“Team jerseys in their photos. Why?” – Brianna, 28, Los Angeles
“I’m not against drinking, but a pic with a drink in hand is a turnoff.” – Amy, 25, Newport Beach
An oldie, but a goodie –
“Shirtless bathroom mirror selfie? JUST NOOOO .“- Jackie, 30, New York
Next up bio and description no no’s…
Bio No No’s
Next up is the biography, introduction, essentially the blurb where you describe what you are into and what you are looking for. Also, a minefield in the minds of women.
“If they have a list of things they don’t want as opposed to what they’re looking for.” – Cara, 36, Brooklyn
“Being rude (i.e. “No Fatties” “No Libtards” etc.). If you talk like that on your profile, I already know you are an asshole not worth my time.” – Violet, 26, Los Angeles
“’I’m not politically correct’ meaning I like to say offensive things but I don’t want to take responsibility for it.” – Krystal, 31, Los Angeles
Interest No No’s
Now a part of your bio is naturally what your into. Go big or go home is not the way to go here!
“‘I have a pet snake.’ Yeah, I have to go.” – Andrea, 25, Austin
“Phrases I don’t ever want to see again: Civil War Re-enactor. I’m out.” – Rebecca, 23, Asheville
“’Hobbies include hackey sack, putting my hair in a man bun, and tending to my patchouli collection.’ I saw that once and thought he was hilarious but then he DID have a pic of himself with a man bun. Hard Pass.” – Marie, 27, Denver
“Trump Supporter. Need I say more?” – Lisa, 34, Los Angeles
Finally, if you think you are being clever with certain buzz words…the next page will make you rethink that.
Bad Buzz
You may think the buzzwords are effective. Women think otherwise. Stay away from the following.
“Words like ‘discreet’ (wants a skeevy affair), ‘fit’ (no fat chicks), ‘likes to party’ (probably has drinking or drug addiction.” – Beverly, 31, Las Vegas
“Super specific physical traits the person’s seeking. That just screams no substance.” – August, 40, Seattle
“I’ve never been able to get past the profiles to do online dating. My biggest pet peeve is the tired line that is some variation of, “You must be as equally comfortable in jeans and an evening gown.” Actually, anything that starts with, ‘You must’ turns me off.” – Fiona, 37, Orlando
“Looking for an ‘open relationship.’ Look somewhere else.” – Stephanie, 28, New Orleans
“’Looking for fun’ usually means he just wants to get laid.” – Angela, 22, Chicago
“’I’m a fun-loving guy’. What the fuck does that even mean? As opposed to somebody grim who just sits in a chair listening to Nirvana on repeat, clicking the light on and off like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction?” – Georgia, 35 Princeton
“‘I’m a kid at heart’ or ‘I’m told I look years younger than I am’ (or something similar) usually means he a) wants a much younger partner, b) is terrified of aging, and/or c) is older than he admits.” – Jenna, 32, Knoxville
“’They call me the MILF whisperer.’ Seriously read that. I threw up a little in my mouth.” – Jasmine, 39, Minneapolis
And Finally…Run A Spell Check
It may sound like common sense or just plain obvious, but you would be surprised at how many do not check the spelling.
“If you spell anything wrong, it’s a pass.” – Laura, 30, Portland
