About a year ago I signed up for a free online dating site called Plenty of Fish, also known as POF. While searching through the profiles that all women age 20 – 36 within the greater Los Angeles area made for themselves, I started to notice an alarming number of similarities or recuring themes. The following is my list of peeves.
1. The Interests
Everybody likes music, and art, and traveling, and the outdoors, and sunshine, and having fun. These are not things that give any insight as to who you are as an individual. I wouldn’t even really describe them as interests but more just standard features that come with any human being. It’d be like shopping for a used car and coming across an ad that says “Great vehicle, runs on gasoline, tires are round, has matter and density.” I still don’t know the make, model, year, milage, accident history, horse power etc. If anything I view the vaugness as a trap into buying a lemon.
2. I’m shy but I’m not shy
A lot of girls can’t decide on what they are. “I’m shy but I can also be very outgoing.” “I’m just a jeans and t-shirt kinda girl that loves to get dressed up and go out too.” “I’m a realist but I have a bit of a hopeless romantic side. . .” When filling out your “about me” section you should use a “Which of the following best describes me?” approach. Like an SAT question, choose the letter that best answers the problem, don’t fill in every bubble.
3. The Nerd
Some girls like to pick out one non-airhead thing they do and then call themselves a nerd. The degree they give themselves can vary from: full on nerd, half nerd, a bit of a nerd. It’s always juxtaposed with some characteristic indicating that they are still attractive. For example: “I’m a nerd that likes to play scrabble and do crossword puzzles, but I also love doing girly things like getting my hair and nails done. . so I guess that makes me 1/2 nerd and 1/2 beauty. . . .” For the record, the occasional board game does not qualify you as a nerd, or as you are really trying to imply, smart. This would be like me playing a game of HORSE and then calling myself a jock.
4. “My friends describe me as . . . ”
A jackass? There is nothing cute about having your friend write your profile for you. You are not being modest you are being pathetic. These always end up reading like a eulogy in the present tense. “Sarah is a fun loving, good spirited person who can always put a smile on everyones face.”
5. The List
Many girls think they are being clever by making one word lists of arbitrary things they like. It usually comes in the format of : trivial, trivial, trivial, serious (repeat) . . . Might look something like this: “I love rainy days, pringles, blue jeans, my family, Leonardo Di Caprio movies, orange tic tacs, diet pepsi, feeding the homeless . . . ”
6. The Art Chic
Her taste is far more sophisticated than yours. She would list her favorite bands but you’ve probably never heard of them. She’s looking for a guy that can go on long rhetorical rants about how fucked up the system is. As Adam Carolla would say “You can tell she is artistic and creative because she has art that other people created tattooed on herself.”
7. “I like a guy that can make me laugh. . .”
really?
8. “No Drama, No Bullshit”
I have come up with an easy way to find out who the biggest slut is in a group of girls without running the risk of contracting herpes. It’s whoever uses the word “slut” the most often. This algorithm can be applied to many other things. You feeling the need to address the issue of not wanting “drama” or “bullshit” leads me to believe that you are in fact a drama queen full of bull fucking shit.
9. The Smokin Hot Friend
Does not need to be in all the pictures you post on your dating profile. This is essentially shooting yourself in the foot. Your caption could say “Thats me on the left, next to the girl that looks like she could be a model.” Beauty is relative and when guys see a 6 standing next to an 8 we’re going to go with the 8. Find yourself some uglier friends to take pictures with or learn how to work a little photoshop magic.
10 . All the aforementioned girls that never wrote me back!
