The Red Flags of Online Dating

Happy Red Flag Friday!

 

When I first tried online dating, I didn't want anyone to know.  Let's be honest... 2 years later I've now been on Match, Plenty of Fish and (as I hide my face...) Tinder.  I have even (embarrassingly) browsed Christian Mingle but made the (probably good) decision to not even go there.  So, plenty of bad dates (but hilarious stories) later, I am able to stand before you and tell you this:  red flags abound in the land of hashtags and selfies. #runaway #creeps #knowthesigns

 

Today is dedicated to the many red flags I and my friends have discovered in our journeys from browsing profiles to having awkward dinners before browsing the profiles again (perhaps even in the restroom as an avoidance mechanism during dinner...)  This goes out to Pizza Beard, Judge Judy's biggest fan, the food snob, the 12 hour clinger and the conspiracy theorist, just to name a few.

 

He comes to your place all the time yet never invites you to his.  Related, he's met your friends but you don't even know if he has any...Is that weird? 

 

Two:  He brings whiskey to your apartment for your first date.

 

Next:  His ringtone is a cheesy country love song... when his wife is calling...

 

Red flag four?  You walk a good distance to your car at night and he says "if anyone tries to get you just scream..." instead of throwing on a pair of shoes to walk you out.

 

OH, and five:  Date two includes a movie on Netflix... ALL movies under recently watched are porn...

 

Another potential giveaway and number six...he has under 100 Facebook friends and no tagged photos.  In my opinion and unfortunately experience, this person is either not very well liked or this is a fake profile.  Even worse, are all of his photos cropped?  Perhaps the female arm you see is not one of the past...

 

You just never know with online dating.

 

...and the worst part is seeing these people out and about in public while you cringe behind your friends.  Raleigh is a small world, after all.  All of these are red flags that in one way or another, this guy is not the one for you.  I, for one, vow to never do online dating again. For those who do, please develop a red flag radar and make a blog account; I've learned that people love a good story.

 

What are some red flags you've encountered in the transition from online to offline?