Dating Thread 51 - 2025. New year, new start

[TwistedWonder]

The Rules:
• The first rule about the dating thread is don't talk about it with people you're dating.
• Develop a thick skin.
• Do not invest emotionally too soon.
• It's all BS until it actually happens.
• Trust your gut instinct.
• People vanishing, lying & being generally weird is not your faulT.
• Know your wortH.
• If it's not fun, stop.
• Loo update is mandatory.
10. No dating the thread.
11. Treat others as you'd like to be treated
12. Any relationship you have that could get ruined by having a conversation about your feelings, standards and/or expectations wasn't really stable enough to begin with
13. The things you choose to ignore/ tolerate now are the reasons you will break up in the future
14. OLD can get very time consuming. Keep doing other activities you enjoy.
Optional: Please give your irons (potential dates you are talking to) nicknames like Mr Scottish. Initials are allowed (Mr S) when you are an item*

Ooh yes, dress sense very important to me. As is smell. Clean please, and aftershave.

I love a slightly alternative indie look personally.

The amount of men in selfies wearing their hi viz workies as well? 🙈

How do we feel about the topless gym photos as well? And selfies taken in bed with no top on? Do some people like that? Puts me off personally 😂 even if they've got a good bod...... might just be me though 😂

Someone who matched with me on bumble and didn't respond to my message has now liked me on hinge 🤔

Yes, very strange. I would never post a selfie in bed from an angle that gives me a double chin....

But clearly if they do, then we are incompatible 😁

Yeah I'm not a fan of the topless pics (hence my unimpressed reaction to Mr Rock's pic this morning), even if they look good it just feels a bit... tacky? One-track minded? Leading in one direction only?

And while I am SO looking forward to all that sort of thing (it's been a long time... left a sexless marriage), I don't think I'm a casual sex sort of person, I'm looking for something more meaningful.

Same! I'd rather see them with a top on and think "ooh they look like they've got a good bod under there". Keep some mystery going 😜

Only danger with that is that they don't always.....

All grim 🤢 the laying in bed topless trying to look seductive ones particularly make me shudder

I’ve had that. A guy who super swiped me on Bumble then didn’t reply liked me on hinge and also on FB dating last year and has just liked me again now I’m back on Bumble 🤷‍♀️

I don't mind someone who doesn't have much style tbh, but they have to have a good body and be into exercise and fitness. I need muscles and definition BUT I also bring this to the table, so I think that's fair. 😁

Dad bods are massive no-no.

@Crushed23 I quite like a dad bod, but I wouldn't expect to see one being paraded about topless in profile pictures..! I'm quite curvy and definitely no gym bunny, not so picky about body types.

I quite like a dad bod but then m nearly 60 so there’s a lot about 🤣

Im no gym bunny so anyone who is hugely into fitness we wouldn’t have compatible lifestyles anyway.

Im also not an outdoorsy sort so anyone who spends their weekend hiking, paddle boarding, park running etc wouldn’t be for me - that rules out most of Hinge!

I'm sure a lot of the men on dating apps are trying to sound and look even more interesting than they actually are with all their photos of various activities and travelling but it actually puts me off a bit cos I think "well I just won't be able to keep up with that/have the freedom to do all that" so tend to swipe left if they bang on about how "spontaneous" they are or how much travelling they want to do.

I want to travel as well but with 3 kids living with me 100% of the time it's just not going to happen 🤷‍♀️ my ex in the other hand.......he's got all the freedom he wants 🥊

Hahaha @TwistedWonder you've described me!

I love mountain climbing, skiing, activity holidays and the like. But I'm not having much luck attracting men who like the same thing here.

@Crushed23 that's surprising since hinge and bumble appear to be full of men who do all those things 😂

Absolutely chocks full of them. And is there any man on Hinge who doesn’t say his perfect Sunday is a long walk in the country followed by a pub roast?

I'm in the States and only use Tinder. I've had no luck with Hinge based on my filters. And Bumble has never appealed.

I do see these sorts out and about - lots of early morning runners as I make my way to my exercise class. But it's hardly the best way to meet men - as they whizz past you at the crack of dawn. 😂

Perfect Sunday.....Nice lie in, country walk, country pub roast, cosying up to a film in the afternoon.

Literally 80% of profiles say this -

Haha I don't even like roast dinners so 'the perfect sunday' listing that is another instant turn off.
I like to go to the gym but still not a fan of gym selfies, especially topless ones. Or any topless pictures really.
Here in my area one very popular photo is a picture taken on top of Pen y Fan, the highest peak in the Brecon Beacons. It's not even a challenging walk...

@Crushed23 is Hinge not popular in the States? I'm heading over there for work and was gonna check what's on offer on that side of the pond. Just out of curiosity, wouldn't have time for any dates!

Yep - it’s the Hinge cliche response.

Its my idea of the Sunday from hell hence why hinge doesn’t really work for me.

This will be my first friend.

I can’t date smokers, have in the past, and it’s the smell on clothes, hair and tasting cigarettes when kissing. Not for me.

Wow, that must have been hard, just the disbelief that it had happened,

Smoking is a hard no from me too. I used to when I was younger and can't stand the smell of it now. I don't think I could kiss a smoker

This has happened to me too! Idiots!

@OchreHedgehog he has actually messaged me this time though. I waited to see if he would message me first and he has.