6 Dating App Red Flags That Should Make You Swipe Left
There are only so many things you can determine about someone from their dating profile. Sometimes the worst thing you discover on a first date is that the guy is way shorter than he looked in photos, but sometimes you realize he’s a full-fledged psycho.
Before you swipe your little heart out on Tinder or your dating app of choice, memorize these red flags from a seasoned dating app veteran.
1. Unclear Photos
Girls may get more shit for editing their photos, but I can tell you firsthand that boys do some maneuvering as well. If you’re concerned about looks, do yourself a favor and don’t right swipe on guys who happen to be facing away from the camera in every photo. Black and white photos are also sketchy. After all, who doesn’t look good in a black and white professional photo? Looks may not matter in the end, but nobody likes swiping right on a 10 and meeting up with a 4.
2. Premature Nudes
No matter how good a guy looks with his shirt off, it’s safe to say that you should probably swipe left on any dude who feels the need to post a shirtless mirror pic in his profile, specifically if there’s a dirty bathroom in the background. If you want to give him a free pass on this, that’s your call.
Once he starts sending nudes to you within your messages, it’s time to dip out. I remember when I was messaging a hot-ass finance bro who loved to buy tables at the hottest NYC clubs and I thought he was dope, until he sent me a dick pic within one day of messaging.
With guys and girls, sending nudes too soon is a big red flag. While you might not mind seeing a guy’s sexy body or nice dick, it’s a sign that they’re probably only interested in sex, and are likely sending nudes to every single one of their potential dates. Unless you’re solely looking for a fuck buddy, let a guy win you over with his words, not his wang.
3. Asking To “Hang Out”
On Tinder, you might expect this. But on any other dating app, a guy should at least have some sort of game plan. If you like taking the lead and want to suggest that you two check out a new art show or bistro, that’s your call. But if a guy asks you to “hang out,” it probably means he expects you to go to his place, fake watch 15 minutes of a movie, and bang. This has nothing to do with financial status or being high maintenance, a guy can ask you to take a walk in the park and that’s totally cool. But we all know that “hanging out” is the new booty call, and you can probably get one of those without searching a dating app.
4. Repeat Messages
I’ve been notoriously bad at keeping up with dating apps in the past. I’ll have exchanged messages with a sexy dude and forgotten to respond weeks later. If said guy gently messaged me again asking if I was still interested/wanted to get lunch/etc., that was totally fine. However, if a guy starts repeat messaging you because you haven’t responded within hours, he’s probably crazy/desperate/a serial killer.
5. Passive Aggression
Have you ever been matched with a Tinder psycho? I have, and it’s actually pretty scary. You start wondering if he’s able to find your full name and address from your Tinder photos and if you should be getting a deadbolt on your door.
If you start getting weird feelings from a conversation with a match, just un-match and/or block them, trust me.
If you’re not sure how to spot a weirdo, keep a look out for passive aggressive behavior. If he puts pressure on you to give him your number off the bat, calls you, asks for your social media pages, get rid of him. If he puts you down in any way and exudes an overly cocky vibe, you should also get rid of him. If you want to see my run-in with a Napoleon-complexed, psycho Happn match, check it out here.
6. Where’s Waldo
Similar to the facing away photos, guys tend to have fun playing “where’s Waldo” in their dating profiles. If you wanted to try to find a guy in a group pic of five, you’d go to the bar and look for last night’s hook up. If a guy seriously doesn’t have any solo photos of himself or even duo photos, he may be hiding something. You don’t want to show up for a hot date with an Uncle Jesse lookalike only to be confronted with Danny Devito’s doppelganger.
