Dating apps may not be everyone’s cup of tea but according to the Pew Research Center, 1 in 10 non-single adult has met their current partner online or via a dating app. It can sound like a modern-day fairytale but others think online dating sucks because of their previous experience/s before — and nope, it’s not a fairytale at all! Horror? Thriller? Comedy? We’ll let you decide!

Here are some terrible date experiences that some Reddit users wrote about on the internet.

Why Some Reddit Users Think Online Dating Sucks

“There’s plenty of catfish in the sea”

u/Hoggiebearz shared a story of someone they knew who had been catfished by an older lady. They wrote, “He had been talking to this girl online for a really long time. He was planning on driving to Texas (we live in north Georgia) to visit her. When he told her that he was going to drive over to see her she confessed that she was actually an overweight 43-year-old lady. He was 23 at the time. He doesn’t like to talk about it…” Yikes!

Another story came from u/mischieflunna who got catfished by a “22-year-old lesbian posing as a straight man using the Snapchat gender swap filter.” The user added that they “didn’t realize it until ‘he’ asked me to come over.” But the Reddit user is just one of the many victims of catfishing stories. And while it’s convenient and amusing to use filters and photo editing apps, many still find that overusing and relying on these is increasingly becoming a “problem.”

Take TikTok’s “bold glamour filter,” for instance, news outlets like NBC News and NPR reported that many find it to be “terrifyingly realistic” and that it sets yet another unattainable beauty standard for people.

A misogynistic “match”

You’d think people would be gearing towards equality these days, and it’s somewhat understandable that some views from the past can’t easily be shaken off — especially when people were exposed to such norms growing up, BUT, sometimes the audacity of some people to say certain things can leave a person dumbfounded.

Take one anonymous Reddit user. She said she went out on a date with a guy once and that he ghosted her. Fast forward one week, and her date texted “You know you’re almost 30 right? Most of your eggs are already dried up. That is a fact. Tick tock tick tock that is your limited value going out the window. Best of luck, you glass of aged milk. Mr. Perfect isn’t out there, you’re too old to be picky. Sorry for being honest. Your life sucks.”

What’s worse is like many women have experienced before, this wasn’t the first guy she encountered who said chauvinistic remarks to her. The last man she ended things with also said similar things to her: “Years may go by before you find someone else and then you’ll get to a point where you can’t have kids. You might still be attractive when you’re older but I mean I haven’t even hit my peak attractiveness yet and won’t until I’m in my 40s. But women have a much smaller window. You have a biological clock that’s gonna run out.” — oh, and the irony here? Is that this guy didn’t even want kids, according to the user.

Gold-digging guys and gals

The gold-digger story is one that we know all too well by now. And you’d think people can spot one from a mile away, but apparently not! People these days can get more creative! In the r/dating thread, several guys shared their stories about how they get instantly unmatched once they tell their matches what they do for a living. Men and women also frequently get asked by their matches to wire them money.

A few Reddit posters would even share their own tips and tricks as to how to spot or avoid gold diggers on online dating apps as well as on dates where they met the person online. Some said that they should downplay their career or their salary, others noted that if their date orders the most expensive item on the menu, while others believe that you can simply just “tell” if their date is a gold digger

Weirdos You Should Be Wary About

Not all dates will go well. That’s why we go on one in the first place! — to see if we’re compatible with our dates. But it’s incredible how some people can sometimes leave you wondering, “Is ANYONE going to be compatible with them?” Take what a poster from Reddit shared: “Had a guy tell me that I looked like someone who smells nice, which isn’t that bad except he then asked what perfume I wear so he could smell me while he w*nked to the pictures on my profile.”

Another user, u/EmpathicBadger didn’t share much of a backstory or story arc in their post. They simply said that the creepiest thing an online date did to them was they were threatened that demons would be summoned to kill them. And u/Starlight_Sparrow said the scariest thing their online date said to them was, “You’re so small. I bet you could fit into all sorts of boxes and tight places.” Yeah, we wouldn’t blame OP if they ran away as soon as they heard that!

Don’t Be Ashamed to “Nope TF Outta There”

Sometimes, online dating sucks — and it will probably take years before we can read all the horror online dating stories that are posted on the internet. Even then, there are still far more that aren’t shared on the web. But fret not, even though the stories we read about can be intimidating, there are also hundreds of non-creepy, non-misogynistic, and non-catfishing people on online dating apps. In Pew Research Center’s survey, it says that 3 in 10 adults in the US use or have used dating apps. Therefore, if you’re single, you can still be hopeful that somewhere out there is the one for you!

Lastly, if you’re going on a date with someone online, exercise utmost caution! And don’t be afraid to “nope TF” out of a date that isn’t going well, especially if your safety is jeopardized. But do also make sure that you have fun when going out on dates — that’s the great thing about having dating apps. You can meet lots of people — conveniently!

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