Recently I went on a date with a guy that I very quickly realized had no dating etiquette whatsoever. Maybe he had just never been told what is and isn't acceptable on a date, or maybe he just had no idea that the things he was doing weren't socially acceptable in ANY kind of context.
No matter what the reason behind his actions was, it made me immediately turned off to the thought of spending any more time with him than the hour lunch that we had just had. As a 20-something college girl, I have a love-hate relationship with dating. The good ones are always really good, and the bad ones make me never want to look at another guy ever again.
What has made these bad dates so bad are because the guy has committed one, a few, or god forbid, all 10 of these big dating no-nos. If you want a shot at a relationship, here is everything you SHOULD NOT do.
1. Do NOT show up late
Nothing says "I don't value or respect you" more than showing up late, and I mean unreasonably late. Ten to fifteen minutes is annoying but understandable in certain situations.If your date though is showing up 30 minutes to an hour late without even a heads up text, you need to drop them ASAP.
2. Inappropriate date attire
I cannot stress this one enough. I, along with every other girl I know, put a lot of time into doing our makeup, hair, and picking a cute outfit for every date. If you come rolling up looking like you just rolled out of bed, look like you haven't bought new clothes in 5 years, or are wearing any sort of cotton pant (talking to you to joggers) I can tell that you don't care about your appearance and makes me believe you don't care much about the date that we're on either.
3. Do NOT be on your phone the entire time
This is just rude. The fact that you have a person in front of you that is willing and wanting to get to know you and you decide to carry on a conversation on your phone not only shows that you're disconnected from the date, but that you have little regard for the person in front of you.
4. Complain about any aspect of the date
The last date I went on, I planned. The second that we sat down at the restaurant he was immediately asking pricing, complaining about the price of the drink he ordered, and that his food wasn't to his liking. Not only did this make me feel bad because this is where I picked to go, but it also really embarrassed me because it's one of my favorite places to go and I go there a lot.
5. Not hold the door open for you
This is kind of old-fashioned, but also just a kind thing to do. I'm not expecting a guy to run in front of me just so he can open the door for me, but if you open the door and are walking inside, at least hold it for me while I walk through.
6. Do NOT chew with your mouth full/open
This is something that you shouldn't do anyway, but especially not on a date. It's great that the person wants to chat, but wait until you've finished your bite to tell me all about the time you got so wasted you threw a TV out the window.
7. ALWAYS TIP THE WAITER
I didn't think this needed to be said but apparently, it does. If you are too broke to tip your waiter, do not go out to eat!!! 'Nuff said.
8. Do NOT take your date to fast food unless previously discussed
Yes, it can be quirky and cute but if you pick a girl up and she's dressed cute and her makeup is done and you're like "We're going to Wendy's!!!!" she will immediately text her BFF to fake an emergency to get her out of this date.
9. Refer to an ex an any negative way
And RUN out of there if he uses the words "Hoe," "Slut," or "B***h."
10. If you are no longer in high school, do NOT call it a "hang out" when it's clearly a date.
If you do anything that's not chillin' at one of your houses watching a movie, it's a date SON.
