In the past, there was always a social stigma with meeting a love interest online. Many people wouldn’t even admit they met their significant other on the Internet! But with social media being such a BIG ta-do these days, the stigma has quickly faded. Is it a yay or nay thing to do? I’m sure everyone has scrolled through Tinder a time or two.
So….
My friends have been telling me for a long time now to get out there and meet new guys. I’m always skeptical to jump back in the dating scene because I’m leery of people, in general. But, considering the fact that I’m not getting any younger, and realizing I have nothing to lose in meeting new people, I decided to give their idea a chance.
See, my problem is that I constantly deal with the same ole guys. It’s like I have them in rotation. And the bad part is, every time I’m done with them, it seems as if we end on worse terms than we ever did previously. That game has gotten old. With this in mind, I decided to go ahead and download a dating app….why the heck not, right?
Here’s the thing: I HATE dating apps! Every time I re-download an app and start browsing around, I immediately remember WHY I didn’t stay on it before. It’s not for me!
Reasons?
1. I’m very social and outgoing once I get to know someone. But I’m not the best at approaching guys online or going up to randoms when I’m out on the town, and sparking conversation. So, even if I’m a match with someone on these sites, I never have the balls to make the first move. The same thing can be said for real life.
2. I don’t like the whole “blind” aspect of it. I’m not a fan of blind dates. Sure, they have pics on their profiles for me to gawk at, but I think we’ve all learned enough from “Catfish” to know that if someone online seems too good to be true, they usually are.
3. This world is FULL of crazy people! I’m always afraid I’m going to end up meeting a serial killer or someone who is just plain bat-shit crazy! I’m not about that life. Especially because I have a child. I don’t want some crazy person coming into my life, let alone my child’s life. For me, introducing anyone new to my son is a very tricky/picky/ sensitive/ touchy situation for me. This explains why I always go back to those fools from high school; I’m comfortable with them and I “know” them!
4. I NEVER get messaged by someone I’m interested in. There’s always someone in my inbox who is foreign, creepy or completely NOT my type. I try not to be shallow and say, “okay, maybe I should step outside the box and look for something out of my norm, because my norm never seems to work out.” But, I always end up finding something so unappealing about them that I’m turned off altogether.
5. STAGE 5 CLINGERS EVERYWHERE! Nothing else needs to be explained with this one.
6. To be honest, I never remember to regularly check the app for messages. It’ll be days before I respond to someone, and at this point, they are pissed with me.
7. I get bored easily. The first few days, I’m super excited to explore. After that, I’m over it. (I’m currently in the “over it” phase. Hence, the reason why I’m writing this post.)
And lastly, but certainly the most important reason:
8. Most men on there are looking for casual sex, nothing more. That’s an automatic turn-off for me. Especially when the first words to come out of your mouth have some kind of sexual connotation attached to them.
Don’t get me wrong, I know plenty of people who have been very successful finding their mate online. I guess I just don’t have the drive or motivation to invest so much time into it; it never works out or I never follow through. So, my question is…what are some good apps/sites to try? Maybe I’m looking in the wrong places? Or maybe I should just go about this the old-fashioned way and get out of the house and meet people. I mean, I am in Vegas for goodness sakes! Between tourists and locals, if I can’t meet someone out here, maybe the problem is ME and not THEM!
But in the meantime, drop some of your favorite apps in the comments below, and maybe I’ll try them out and have better luck. I’ll definitely post with an update once I’ve tried them out. I hope you’ve got some GREAT suggestions.
Help a sista out! Desperately (not really) Seeking Love,
TJ
**OMG…I just thought of it, speed dating! Has anyone tried that? Thoughts?