Summer in Australia practically demands being single. The weather lures everyone outdoors where the beaches basically serve as the location of a giant orgy, with everyone wearing as minimal clothing as possible. It’s all BBQs and flesh, flesh, flesh. The colder months however, are when we spare a thought for those that are single. To get warmer you need to move closer, but when there’s no one there to snuggle up to, you have to resort to things like stained jumpers, blankets, or portable heaters that seem to trip the electricity in your house every time they’re switched on.
With winter on the horizon, those that are single are going hard on the dating apps in the hope that they might just snag someone to keep them warm as they binge watch every Netflix show available in the coming months. Ah, romance. If you’ve been single long enough, you’ll be aware of the pros and cons of various dating apps. Those on Bumble stick their nose up at Tinder, which is basically a hook-up app whereas Bumble is for the gentlemen. Hate to burst your bubble but if you’re on Tinder, you’re likely on Bumble, as well as Hinge, Raya, OkCupid and every other app out there. The medium might change, but the message stays the same.
Dating today is one fraught with challenges. You have to contend with people ghosting you at free will, and the possibility that their profile pictures might not be a different person, but sure as hell aren’t recent (let’s just say time hasn’t been too kind to them). But if you were after any pointers, steer clear of these bio mistakes people have made that are being shared online.
As one reddit user illustrated, avoid cliches that people are sick and tired of seeing, like saying: “If we have a match you will be the luckiest girl on the Planet.”
It prompted a discussion as to what are some of the worst bios ever encountered on dating platforms. One reddit user said: “When they have requirements like height, weight, and so on.” Ick.
It also turns out that if you’re a fan of a TV show, don’t go too hard on the quotes. While a reference might be funny, any more than one and it’s just too much for most people to get their head around. “Overused The Office quotes. I like the show, too, but you’re not unique,” said one reddit user. Another commented, “When your entire profile is TV show quotes – but especially if it’s a show that’s incredibly popular. You’re not interesting or unique for quoting Michael Scott.”
Another mentioned that the comment, “a woman who can hold a conversation” is a huge turn off, explaining: “Pretty low bar, and in my opinion, a sign they might have really negative views of women’s intellect. Most people can hold a conversation once the right person comes along; usually, no conversation is just incompatibility.”
“I get worried when ‘honest’ and ‘keep it real’ and ‘don’t be fake’ all show up in a bio. I catch a whiff of trust issues, and those can sometimes manifest in dangerous ways,” wrote another user.
This was similar to other turn-offs that included ranting about the kind of person you don’t want. “Bitter and gross,” wrote one Reddit user. Another commented, “If it starts with ‘Don’t message me if…’ you should really just stop reading and heed the advice.”
Interestingly though, don’t scrap the bio entirely. It’s still very important, as one Reddit user illustrated: “Having no bio at all. I won’t match with you because I don’t know how to start the conversation,” as another added, “Having literally no personal information about themselves besides their name, age, and a half dozen emojis. Please, ma’am/sir, I would like to know who you are besides what your body looks like.”
We should laugh but the reality is these things are just too common. Thankfully though, you can read the full discussion thread here and take some pointers when it comes to filling out your own bio.