Start your stopwatch!
While it is easy to turn on women, especially if you have high volume facial hair – it is also easy to turn them off. When it comes to first dates, first impressions are huge. Of course, obvious turn-offs will have a date calling an Uber the quickest like burping, farting, nose-blowing, yapping about your bat shit crazy ex Suzie, whatever, but there are also a few subtle mistakes us men make on first dates, sometimes without even realising it. We’ve tracked down some of the best experts for their advice on ways you can get your date to stick around long enough for her to pay the bill – kidding.
Choose The Venue Carefully
Where you choose to go could make or break the success of your first date. If you’re the one choosing the location, you should pick somewhere that you know she’ll like. Just because you fancy the idea of eating a wild boar banquet, it doesn’t mean that she will. A drink in a quiet bar, a quick supper, or lunch in a little place you know are great ideas.
The advantage of keeping the first date short and simple is that if you don’t like each other, you don’t have to make it through a seven-course meal together. If you do like each other, you can either extend the date or plan a longer one for next time. It is always better to leave wanting more.
Oh, and one other thing, don’t leave it up to her every time to decide which bar or restaurant to go to. Pick a place, book a table, and just tell her a time. Women like a man who can make decisions all on his own.
Time Is Of The Essence
Dates should start at a reasonable hour, so preferably arrange for pre-dinner drinks first. Grandma said it best: ‘Ain’t nothing open after midnight but legs’. The later the hour the more relaxed you become. This makes it especially hard to pay attention to detail, which is imperative on a first date. Plus, dates scheduled earlier in the day allow for more flexibility. For example, if you hit it off, you may want to add another activity to the date – snorkelling for example – can you do that at 02h00?
Don’t Jump Her Right Away (this only works on amphibians)
Based on data from the Match.com Singles Study, 92 percent of women polled say a friendly peck on the cheek is appropriate on a first date, but not a full tongue-down-the-throat kiss. Guys, as tempting as it is, don’t go straight for her mouth. Unless the date is a pre-established hook-up, one-night-stand, or Tinder date – don’t bring an overnight bag. This is non-negotiable and makes you look like a total a**hole.
You Are What You Wear
What you wear can tell a lot about you so you must dress to send the right message to your date. Despite everything you’ve heard, women are visual. If you don’t believe us, watch a woman pick fruit in a grocery store. They always choose the brightest, firmest peach. The first thing women see often determines the first thing women think, so remember to dress appropriately on a first date. Yes, be casual, but don’t pitch in shorts and your favorite crocs. To be fair, guys, no one’s asking you to pitch up in an Armani suit and tie. Just look clean and neat. You can handle that.
The Time Keeper
Being late for a date tells a woman that you’re rude, disrespectful, and inconsiderate. The only thing more valuable than money is time. While delays can happen, make a conservative effort to arrive on time, even if it means arriving a little earlier than scheduled. If your date is smokin’ hot, and you arrive late, you can expect her to have already left the coop, or worse, moved on to another bearded dragon. Serves you right.
Dates Aren’t For Kids
This may seem like an obvious one but you’d be surprised at just how many people take their kids with them on dates. While you should tell your date that you’re a parent, remember that a date’s purpose is to create an opportunity to get to know each other. Rugrats, even the cute ones, can be a distraction and a hindrance. Hire a babysitter.
Start The Conversation
Don’t wait for her to initiate conversations. Women love it when they don’t have to do all the talking. At the same time, be mindful that motor mouths are a huge turnoff. We get it. You know your sh*t. But you don’t know everything, so don’t sit there and try to impress a lady by acting as you do. Let her speak.
Focus On Her, Not Your Cellphone
Being on phone during a date is the ultimate faux pas – so rude. You might as well be in a relationship with Siri. Ask any woman and they’ll tell you that there is nothing worse than taking a backseat to a cellphone. Smsing and calling people while you’re out on a date is a massive turnoff.
Breath-Ability: Dragon-Breath
When it comes to first dates, swamp ass breath is right up there with erectile dysfunction and flatulence. Women don’t like gross stuff like odour, especially when she can smell it every time you open your mouth. Even if you’re rocking in every other department, bad breath can be pretty hard to ignore. We cannot stress the importance of not smelling like an armpit. And the reason for that is because far and away, a guy who smells bad is a huge red flag for women.
Leave The Past Behind
Ah, baggage… a sure way of spoiling a date is yapping on about your past relationships. Yeah, we’ve all experienced emotional trauma or heartbreak, which typically manifests itself in pathological scepticism, but talking about your exes or past relationships while you are on a date tells your date you haven’t moved on. Also, how you talk about your exes will give your date an idea as to how you are going to treat them in the future. A word of caution, women hate men who dis other women.
If You Booze, You Cruise
Arriving drunk at a date is a no-no. Even though your date will be less than impressed by your stagger and slurred speech, drinking decreases your reflexes and your state-of-mind. The saying: ‘Spirit: helping ugly people get laid since the ’50s’, is true, so too is the term ‘beer goggles’. And any man who’s ever worn them regrets it in the morning.
Expecting Her To Pay On The First Date
Call her whatever the hell you want – snob, cheap, gold digger – but on a first date never, ever, ask her to pay. Sorry, not sorry. I know some of you are going to roll your eyes, but the majority of women want a man to pay on a first date.
Bedroom Antics
If the date’s gone well and it’s time for the big question (would you like to come inside for earth-shattering sex, I mean coffee) think twice before you reply. According to a survey by WhatsYourPrice.com, 80 percent of women said they did not see the relationship getting serious after sleeping together on the first date. Just saying…
