7 Of The Most Annoying Things Men Do On Dates
Those cringe-worthy moments that make you go, 'seriously?'
We all do things that irritate other people, right? But sometimes, there are little habits that seem to crop up on entirely too many of our first — and often last — dates with dudes.
Here are a few of the ones that drive us absolutely bonkers.
1. Texting At The Table
I get it: you're busy. You have a lot of friends. You have a lot of business to attend to. You perhaps even have other romantic prospects. I don't care, though, because if you had to be on the phone all night, you should've just canceled our date and not wasted my time at this table staring at spaghetti and listening to you "click, click, click" while smiling bemusedly to yourself. And no, I really don't want to see your friend's cat.
2. Not Tipping
Whether he's paying or you have agreed to split the bill, there should always be an adequate tip for good service. Nothing is more frustrating than when you look over and realize that your date has left a 10% tip to a server who’s been nothing but nice and helpful. I always wind up just paying a bit extra in cash or adding it onto my check, but still: it’s a huge turn-off.
3. Instagramming
If I've been with somebody for a while, I'm totally fine with them posting photos of us online. But when you’ve only been on one or two dates with a guy, it's pretty awkward for him to just spontaneously take a picture of you and put it on various social media networks without asking.
4. Talking About Exes
What is with people who do this? On the one hand, I understand if you feel compelled to honestly discuss something serious; for example, revealing right off the bat that you are in the midst of a separation from your spouse or that you still live with an ex-partner. But just randomly bringing up how awesome or awful your last ex was? Either way, it reflects poorly.
5. Asking About Sex
A couple years ago, I was on a date with a guy who, out of the blue, asked me if I enjoyed a very specific sex act. I had been around him for all of two hours and thus felt incredibly uncomfortable by the question. So, please folks, don't request personal information about somebody's intimate life unless they volunteer it.
6. Mocking Career Choices
Whenever I tell people I'm a writer, I often get the "oh, so you’re unemployed but your parents pay the rent?" response because people tend to associate young female writers with, say, Lena Dunham's character in the first season of Girls. This is fine to joke around about if you're friends with somebody, but patronizingly judging a person's job is definitely not going to win you any points on a date. I've heard — from both men and women — stories of people making fun of them for being musicians, artists, lawyers, and a whole slew of other careers. It's irritating. Don't do it.
7. Ordering For Your Date
Unless the person you're on a date with expressly requests that you order for her, this feels a bit condescending. It may come from a well-meaning place, but it feels antiquated and rude. Generally speaking, people like to make their own choices and, regardless of how you feel about certain foods, your date might feel completely different.
Ladies, what would you add to the list? Tell us in the comments below.
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