As a newly single gal, I've become quickly aware of how much the "dating" world has changed since I've been off the market.
Okay, I hate myself for saying that, too.
I met my previous boyfriend on Tinder, so I knew that world existed. But now there's Bumble, and I have to message the guy first.
Definitely not happening.
Dating apps are basically the only option unless you are hoping you'll find someone at a bar or through friends. I'm not completely against any of those options. But there is something I'm against when it comes to the dating app route.
I will not come to your house the first time we meet.
I don't know if I ever saw this when I first went on Tinder or if it was because I was younger. I'm not sure, but I wish it never happened.
Now, I've gotten it from both sides: guys who still live at home and guys who live alone. I'm still okay with neither, besides the two very obvious reasons.
You could kill me.
Far fetched, I know. No 23 or 27-year-old is actually going to kill me, right? Well, probably not, but people are absolutely crazy these days.
So who really knows?
I've made this joke to plenty of guys. Some think it's funny. Some think I'm a bitch for even suggesting it. But hey, it's my life.
I'm not willing to show up at a stranger's door and just hand it over to them.
I don't even know you!
I literally know few very minor details about you: your age, what you do for a living, the city you live in, and what you look like. On occasion, I know more: where you went to college, where you actually work, or your last name.
And the best reply to this is, "Well, you'll get to know me if you come over."
Wrong, John.
I would love to get to know you in a completely different setting, thank you!
There are tons of other things stopping me from just driving over to your house one night so we can meet.
First impressions are everything. Willing to come to your house the first time I meet you, to me, is a bad one.
And whatever happened to taking someone out on a date? I don't need a fancy dinner. Let's get drinks, let's get apps, let's go to a bar for trivia! Just little things where we're both comfortable and we can talk.
If you think I'm absolutely nuts for not being willing to just come over the first time we meet, that's fine. It was nice chatting with you.
I'm more than happy to find someone who understands my situation.
I hope this is a lesson for guys out there doing this. Congrats if you've found a girl willing to do it, I'd love to chat with her.
But think about what you've probably missed out on with the ones that didn't.