We all engage in certain behaviors during those crucial first few dates that slightly tip the odds in our favor. A gesture, a remark, or even just the way someone walks can speak strangely loudly volumes about us about the person we’re out on a date with.
If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you might miss these tiny glimmers into our deeper undercurrent of craziness. In order to better inform ourselves, I polled a few of my girlfriends to find out the biggest telltale signs that a relationship isn’t going to last in the long run, even during the first few dates.
“Once, after flirting with me for some time, a guy from work invited me out to a nice dinner. We actually got along great and were having a blast, but when the check came, he broke it down by item and made me pay an extra $4 because my cocktail was more expensive than his beer. It was so crazy and intricate that it entirely detracted from the evening’s sexiness. I’m sorry, but it’s not a matter of gender when you invite someone out; at the very least, you should offer to pay. ” – Andrea.
“There are, in my opinion, a few things that really indicate that a man is not relationship material. Here are a few I’ve discovered during my dating career:.
No, if he makes an oddly angry comment about the ex during the initial dates. Who brings up an ex that early, and that implies that he is still resentful.
If he makes an odd, critical, or even lighthearted remark about your appearance.
If you notice that he frequently talks about his “bros” or if you get the impression that he only hangs out with groups of seven guys.
Whenever he says, “Women are this” or “Women do that,” stop him. It is casual misogyny, but as the relationship progresses, it will become much less so.
if he chooses a light domestic beer. ” – Sarah.
“Back in college, when I was dating this guy (i.e., back when I didn’t know about feminism and had really low self-esteem), he told me on our second date that he really “liked his girl to stay in shape and keep it neat down there,” and the insecure 19-year-old me was like, “omg I expect the same from myself. “How much more pitiful could I have been, by the way? And of course he turned out to be a controlling jerk who constantly made me feel bad. Not to be snarky, but he didn’t keep himself in perfect shape either, Clara said.
“Anyone who cracks “politically incorrect” jokes on the first or second date should really leave. Why does the best version of yourself that you’re trying to present on a date think that racist jokes are funny and charming?
is more important than even saying, “I’m offended at this joke,” says Ella.
“If they have a really bad first date.
” – Nicky.
“I think it obviously varies from person to person, but I’ve always found that people who complain excessively about previous relationships or dating in general are not good for relationships. It’s okay to say, “Yeah, I’ve had a hard time with dating,” but sometimes people get so caught up in their resentments about the dating scene that it’s just not healthy. Maybe you were the problem if you were complaining about ten different people in one conversation, Molly remarked.
A “douchebag first date look” always has a negative outcome. It occurs when the guy sports gelled hair and pairs dark-wash jeans with square-toed black shoes and a button-down shirt that is striped, dark in color, and frequently slightly shiny. Simply put, whoever is wearing that outfit is a douchebag and a moron.
” – Naomi.
“It’s definitely a red flag if a guy talks about how much money he makes or, even worse, tries to hint at it in a completely transparent, humblebraggy way. Guys with that much to prove will never make good partners because they base their worth on how much money they have in the bank.
” – Sam.
I once went on a date with this girl who immediately got very argumentative with me about politics. We seemed to be in agreement on the majority of issues, and I am a huge liberal, so I think we were, but I guess I wasn’t far enough to the left for her, and so she started acting strangely and pushy about it. In addition, I thought she was very attractive at the time, so I just kind of went along with it. However, our entire relationship turned out to be largely defined by her yelling at me about politics and me not being “involved” enough for her taste.
” – Alex.
“Anyone who genuinely tries to have sex with you on the first date even though it is obvious that you are not ready to be physically intimate should not get a second date, much less enter a committed relationship. I don’t mean to sound like I’m forcing myself on you, but more like “trying to guilt you into putting out or attempting three times in a row despite getting shot down to take you home for the night. Even if they eventually give up, it’s just not a good sign when someone is making such a strong effort to cross your sexual boundaries.
” – Ana.
“Smells a little funky or has too much cologne or perfume. On a date, there should never be any kind of overpowering odor. ” – Julie.
“It’s not always easy to notice but I think a big indicator of how they will be in a relationship is how much they talk vs listen on the date. Sometimes you’re both nervous and one person might talk more than usual, but you can still probably get a sense of how much they let the other person speak. However, they shouldn’t be too quiet either, as you need to strike a good balance right away or things are probably not going to get better over time.
I used to think that a guy who talked a lot was really interesting and intelligent, and guys who almost never talked were pensive and good listeners. But both types of guys turned out to be not great in the long run, and those qualities only got more pronounced as time went on. ” – Jamie.
“If he talks about his mother like she is a former (or current) girlfriend, run. No. Mommy. Issues. ” – Olivia.
“Somehow I have ended up going out on a lot of dates with guys who were really pretentious about where they went to school, and every time I continued dating one of those guys, it was a mess. Anyone who is really braggy about their education is probably not relationship material (unless you also went to Yale or whatever). ” – Amanda.
“Watch out for guys who expect you to laugh at his jokes, but who doesn’t really laugh at yours, except maybe a “heh” or “hmm. ” It can be really subtle, but it’s a HUGE personality indicator for the relationship. ” -Leila.
