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Dating is like an extended job interview, except both parties are, or at least should be evaluating how good of a match their counterpoint is. The more one does this, the quicker they can identify patterns, for better or worse.

A woman asked “Girls, I need your most unserious dating red flag. Not cheating. Not lying. I’m talking: “He clapped when the plane landed and unfortunately I never looked at him the same,”” and people shared their worst stories. So get comfortable as you read through other folk’s uncomfortable stories, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your own ideas in the comments below.

More info: Threads

#1

A man on a couch looking worried while holding a remote, showcasing dating red flags. He tried to cover his ears and his eyes when a Tampax commercial came on the TV, and loudly shouted, “lalalalalalalala” to block the audio. That, right there, was the moment I got the ick.

proforganizer , Gustavo Fring Report

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    #2

    A man and a woman talking outdoors in front of a modern building, discussing dating red flags. He couldn’t subtract 20 from 300 without his phone and then accused me of lying when I said I was doing the math in my head. I can’t deal with that level of stupidity.

    jansenjarvis , Jack Sparrow Report

    #3

    A woman in a car with a distressed expression, representing dating red flags. I gave him a lift to an air show and he spent the whole journey picking his peeling sunburn off his arms. I ended up with a passenger seat full of skin flakes. He later offered to light one of his farts on fire. So I said I was going to the toilet and drove home without him. He might still be at the air show...

    polly.tetlow , stefamerpik Report

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    #4

    An overturned popcorn box with spilled popcorn on a cinema floor, representing dating red flags. The guy I went on a date with left his trash behind after seeing a movie at the theaters. I commented on it and he told me, “people get paid to pick it up.” Well, that was that. Inconsiderate, entitled jerk.

    carter5443 , Tima Miroshnichenko Report

    Diogenes
    Community Member
    4 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He left his trash behind, so OP leave her trash behind. Sounds fair to me.

    #5

    A Tesla Cybertruck parked outside, symbolizing a potential dating red flag. Met at the restaurant for a wonderful first date, all was going well, but then we said goodbye and he walked out of the restaurant to his cybertruck.

    legally_____laura , Mylo Kaye Report

    #6

    A woman with pink hair sitting in a yellow chair, deep in thought, about dating red flags. He told me he’d never spend money on a concert, hated the idea of dressing up for Halloween, thought holidays/decorations were stupid, said nice restaurants are a waste of money, and his idea of a great vacation is chillin in the house or roaming his home town. Absolutely no whimsy!

    wavvykupcake , karlyukav Report

    DH
    Community Member
    Premium
    36 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Hating fun IS a red flag

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    #7

    A smiling woman with blonde curly hair and a cap, sitting outdoors, highlighting dating red flags. He said I had too much pink leopard print in my home. Never made it to our first date cause I straight away blocked him. We don't need that negativity in our lives.

    spookykookykat , Wesley Davi Report

    #8

    A couple on a date, reviewing menus, highlighting dating red flags in a romantic setting. He took me out to dinner on our first date, and when I ordered mozzarella sticks, he asked if I’d prefer a salad because he “likes his women to stay thin.” When I didn’t back off the stix, he joked that he’d just have to strap me to his bumper and I could run it off afterward. A couple decades later, I saw him on social media. When I tell you that man has bigger boobs than me.

    joy_lynne , Yunus Tuğ Report

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    #9

    Two men talking, one holding a drink, illustrating dating red flags in a social setting. He told my family: three things we don’t talk about are my hair, my height or my car.

    So my sister said: what about your face?

    tiarulz , Alexy Almond Report

    #10

    A man with a man bun smiling outdoors, representing dating red flags. Baby talk. He was HOT. He had a good job and we got along great and had fun together. But then he told me I looked "weally pwetty" and I dried up like the Sahara.

    amya0130 Report

    DH
    Community Member
    Premium
    35 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I hope he finds someone that likes him the way he is.

    #11

    A close-up of a man's hand playing a board game, symbolizing dating red flags. After spending a bit of time bonding over our shared love of the game Boggle, he challenged me to a Boggle date.

    He was so surprised after losing the first few games and insisted we keep playing. I kept trying to give him an out and move to another activity but still he persisted.

    We played over 40 games and he lost EVERY SINGLE ONE. He was so mad when he left. He messaged me the next day to say he didn’t want to see me again which saved me the trouble. Another win for me!

    offdutysxcoach , Kevin Malik Report

    DrBronxx
    Community Member
    3 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Sore losers absolutely suck. Bad winners are sometimes worse. I wonder what he would have been like had he won a few.

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    #12

    A woman sits on a couch, holding a pillow, looking bored while a man plays video games, hinting at dating red flags. I beat him at every video game we played (in the arcade era) and every time he’d say “You got lucky.” Guess who did NOT get lucky… That was a one-and-done date.

    mardigras1971 , Tima Miroshnichenko Report

    #13

    A woman covers her face in embarrassment during a date, illustrating dating red flags and unserious dating moments. Describing in excruciating detail his favorite frozen dinners, and rating them. I pictured a life with him and saw myself getting up mid boring conversation and stepping into traffic and decided to nope out.

    bekitoburrito , mego-studio Report

    #14

    A young man looking away, representing dating red flags and questionable dating experiences. When I was 17 a guy I liked came over to my house. My toddler sister had a kiddie pool on the deck and I said, ‘Let’s lounge by the pool.’ He didn’t laugh at my hilarious joke. I knew he wasn’t for me.

    e_be26 , Olena Bohovyk Report

    #15

    A woman looking displeased at her date, highlighting common dating red flags and unserious dating situations. He said he wasn’t drinking any more milk because of the gluten.

    anaspeich , drobotdean Report

    Never miss a story that brings joy to the world. Add us on Google

    #16

    A man and a woman with red hair and sunglasses sitting at a cafe table, possibly discussing dating red flags. Wanted to go camping with me next time I went… After only one date and also after I told him that I go camping to be completely alone and read books.

    kiwi_gal_nz , fxquadro Report

    #17

    A woman with her arms crossed, looking unhappy, while a man talks with hand gestures, illustrating dating red flags. Went on a first date. He put $30 in ones on the table and told the waitress this was her tip. But every time she made a mistake, he was going to remove a dollar. At the end she had $13 left on a $250 bill. She wasn’t the perfect waitress but she didn’t deserve that. As we left, I handed her $32 (all my cash atp). He tried to snatch it and said he felt disrespected. I called an uber to pick me up. Never went out with him again.

    lamiaphoenix , Curated Lifestyle Report

    DrBronxx
    Community Member
    1 minute ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is so controlling and creepy.

    #18

    A man points at artwork while a woman listens, potentially discussing dating red flags at a gallery. Claiming he spoke fluent French, “like a Parisian”. He was British, I’m from the US. I was working on a PhD in French at the time and had lived in France for several years. He corrected my pronunciation of the artist’s name when we were at the Musee d’Orsay looking at Renoir paintings. (it’s ren-wha, love, you don’t pronounce the final “r”. And he then argued with a French woman who was with us who told him he was wrong. Instant ick.

    stellarondeau , Andrej Lišakov Report

    #19

    A man playing video games in bed with pizza, an example of unserious dating red flags. I went over and he was playing the Sims. His Sim hadn’t showered, was peeing himself, surrounded by flies and late for work. He. Was. In. Law. School. And. Couldn’t. Manage. A. Sim.

    irishagogo , Alena Darmel Report

    #20

    A man looking skeptically at a woman, representing questionable dating red flags in a relationship. He said his palms were sweaty and I said “mom’s spaghetti” and he gave me a blank look and said “what does that mean?”

    pepperypotts , Katerina Holmes Report

    AnnaB
    Community Member
    Premium
    17 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I wouldn't know what that meant either.

    #21

    A man and a woman eating together, illustrating potential dating red flags during a meal. Eating food off my plate without asking. Jail.

    bonstarr , magnific Report

    #22

    A couple walking on a beach, contrasting with the theme of dating red flags and unserious dating situations. Took him to the beach & he looked at the water & asked “how far does it go?” I said; “To England! It’s the ocean.”

    ai0fe714 , Kampus Production Report

    #23

    A woman shrugging her shoulders, puzzled by dating red flags and questionable dating behavior. Got in a fight and he accused me of “trying to make him the escape goat”.

    kristin0770 , pvproductions Report

    #24

    Two people talking outdoors at sunset, the woman eating, highlighting common dating red flags in conversations. He thought I made up the word "hijinks" rather than admit that he didn't know what I meant.

    wrightremedy , Matheus Câmara da Silva Report

    #25

    A woman wearing glasses looks at her phone with a disgusted expression, showing potential dating red flags on her screen. Dude started texting me and like narrating. Along the lines of: *approaches nervously* How’s your day going beautiful? *nervous smile* It was so gross and creepy that I blocked him immediately. Didn’t even make it to a date.

    kay_cee425 , https://kaboompics.com/ Report

    #26

    He thought the moon was random like the weather. Like one day could be full then the very next day just a sliver did not believe that I had a calendar with the moon phases for each day and that they were cyclical!! He thought you predicted the moon phases like the weather. Like 50% chance of a full moon tmrw? It’s still cracks me up. We were young like 18-19 but still!

    shmiok8 Report

    #27

    A woman with long wet hair stands by the ocean, her serious expression possibly reflecting on dating red flags. He arrived late to our beach date, said he was really tired from his walk over, then proceeded to TAKE A NAP!!

    la_in_lb , Lena Glukhova Report

    #28

    He invited me over for dinner. But I noticed he leaves the cabinet doors open to see what’s inside…and I just can’t live my life this way. I closed the door on this relationship.

    harvestlivingby_mj Report

    #29

    Not liking/unwilling to dance Tells me: I take myself too seriously and don’t know how to put my pride/ego aside and make the best of an uncomfortable situation.

    x10hues Report

    #30

    This goes way back to when I was a teenager, so be kind to me. I really liked this guy and he was 20 to my almost 18. He worked at his Dad's auto repair shop. Anyways, I was closing a restaurant by myself and I asked him to come keep me company. He did it a couple of times, but finally told me that I was "boring" (aka wouldn't sleep with him) and was too busy. My Dad told me that if the guy really liked me, he'd want to spend every minute with me. My Dad saved me a lot of heartache.

    erin.mason81 Report

    #31

    Mine should have been: when his friends told him the green stuff on his sushi plate was super good and to eat the whole thing. He did. And didn’t flinch. But no, I married him. We have children. “It’s spicy” does not work with these babes.

    lanotthecity Report

    #32

    We saw When Harry Met Sally on a date and afterward, said he hated it. That was all I needed to know. Byyyeee!

    bespectacledinca Report

    #33

    He asked what kind of men I'm into. I said, "an intelligent and funny man who stands up to his for women. Do you tick any of those boxes? " He said, "No. I'm not gay."

    smithers042 Report

    #34

    I went to a guy's apartment and looked at his bookshelves. Plenty of books! NONE OF THEM were written by a woman except Harry Potter.

    meg_bendy Report

    #35

    Outdoor concert and dancing awkwardly alone - nobody else dancing. Movie is deep. He’s not grasping it. Thru dinner ran through the gamut of home improvements - including details of how he did each one. After dinner, boxed up MY leftovers for himself bc he paid the bill. Out grocery shopping for his dinner party — he’s not paying $3 for tomatoes (he’s a lawyer) Went to a dance party. He wouldn’t dance even though he said he danced. Ripped me up bc I danced with someone else. And on and on.

    maxie_alexander1024 Report

    #36

    I went on a date and his car needed a jump start afterwards. I grabbed the cables and was about to use my vehicle to jump his when he stopped me and said he didn’t know how to do it but didn’t trust I did either so he wanted to read his owners manual first… he ended up giving 30 mins in, I jumped his car, and never spoke to him again. I pride myself in my independence (and I’m a car girl) so all of it just felt insulting.

    ghstboi.brz Report

    Lady Gypsy Rain
    Community Member
    Premium
    23 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    About 3 minutes in he would’ve looked up to realize I left. You don’t trust that I know how to do something like this? Ok, good luck getting help you do trust. Bye

    #37

    I know this is gonna be a hot take. But men who golf give me the ick. The sub culture is misogynistic and I would never want to be with someone who is selfish with their time. The second I see a titleist hat or a polo shirt I am immediately disgusted.

    wrldtrvlr2014 Report

    #38

    A woman looks cautiously at a man in a car, displaying potential dating red flags. Picked me up, leaned over and licked my face to “get rid of any awkwardness “. I had him turn around and drop me off.

    mjamgb22 , magnific Report

    #39

    A man showering, showing a dating red flag. He stepped into the shower, turned the water on, and THEN proceeded to adjust the temperature.

    hollydaymonday , Vitaly Gariev Report

    DH
    Community Member
    Premium
    37 minutes ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I hope this is a joke and that you are less judgmental than this.

    #40

    A man with a beard talking to a woman, discussing dating red flags in a casual setting. Went out with a guy who told me he didn't like music. Not any particular genre, all music. He elaborated that he drove places and worked out in total silence. Tell me that's not psychopath behavior.

    heyitstalz , magnific Report

    #41

    First date. He told me he thought my rescue dog who was tortured by her first owners was ugly and then proceeded to tell me he hated cheese.

    mrs._.spencer Report

    #42

    A woman with short dark hair holds her head, looking concerned about dating red flags. After five months he told me that when he was younger he tried to withdraw other people's money from a bank. Me: "oh really? How did you do that?" Him: "With a weapon".

    abigail.leeder , KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA Report

    #43

    A guy texted he couldn’t hang out bc he was running “arins,” he meant “errands.” Still blows my mind bc it means he not only didn’t know how to spell it, he’d been pronouncing it that way his whole life.

    carolyncakir Report

    #44

    He kept interrupting me when I was reading. And not even to bring me snacks, "just wanting to check you're still here!"

    drkirsti Report

    #45

    Fell asleep during a movie and then said he didn’t like it. Dude, you didn’t even see it.

    lizlo.e Report

    #46

    He had fuzzy dice on his rear view mirror and said it was a gag gift… I was gagged.

    yuliscandalo Report

    #47

    I told him what I did for work and he told me to hook him up with a job too. ICK! Why are you actively on a dating app when you should be on Indeed!

    daughnie Report

    #48

    Patted me on the top of my head at the end of the date.

    bonniedollar3 Report

    #49

    He ate lukewarm nacho cheese straight out of the jar.

    misswinnifer Report

    #50

    Going 73 mph in a 75 zone, and hanging out in the passing lane. Then yelling at everyone that has to pass you on the right.

    trilbydrew Report

    #51

    A guy I'd met online, then for coffee, seemed nice enough... but then said he'd love to cook for me at his place, making spaghetti with "a nice chianti". No, a second date is not going to be at *your* home... and NEVER after you've quoted Hannibal Lecter.

    mychellemac Report

    #52

    In the same night he 1. Slorped all over his knife in a nice restaurant and 2. Left me in the pouring down rain as he ran past me to his side of the vehicle, got in, and then unlocked my side. My side was closer to the restaurant. I was done.

    mrsbaconbooknerd Report

    #53

    He wore a flamey, short sleeved button down, like the Y2K type from Spencer’s and he played fantasy football during both movies at the drive in. He didn’t ask me a single question. When I asked him a few questions about himself, he said he felt like he was being interrogated.

    squirt__cobain Report

    #54

    Flew somewhere on vacation. He bought the airline tickets. His ticket was first class, mine was economy. Really? When I was surprised he justified it by saying he paid for them so he should get the better seat. Biggest mistake is I married him anyway. Divorced now.

    earlenem1955 Report

    #55

    A male friend who I had known since we were 12 and 14 and lived across the street from each other set me up on a blind date with "the perfect guy for you." The guy's hobby was cycling. ALL he talked about was cycling. No cycling or second date for me!

    lplayer_library Report

    #56

    He asked me if I liked hiking or running marathons. I said I was an indoor cat, and the extent of my outdoorsiness is pointing at a rock and saying "I like that boulder. That is a nice boulder.” He … began sending me pictures of rocks. I asked why he was sending me random rocks, and he looked at me like I was stupid. “You like boulders.” He was incensed when I said I was just quoting Shrek. He snapped he’d NEVER seen Shrek, it’s NOT a popular film, and I’d LIED to him about liking boulders.

    caito_callaghan Report

    #57

    He opens the microwave early and leaves it on 2 seconds.

    charlottem2005 Report

    #58

    I work in soccer and before this rugby. He said it’s impossible for a woman to know this much about sports.

    sarahmcnuts Report

    #59

    His toilet bowl always had poo streaks in it.

    jennyulove Report

    #60

    Used too many napkins, sounds weird but like, why are you so messy you need 20 napkins.

    its_melancocha Report

    #61

    He mimed playing the guitar at a party --- where most of the guests were professional musicians. Instant "Never again."

    durbinator13 Report

    #62

    His laugh was higher pitched than mine. I couldn’t compete.

    jacqueline_620 Report

    #63

    Him, looking at my 8 bookshelves: Have you read ALL of those books? Me: yes. Him: Why keep them then? I thought my head would explode.

    winsome_witch Report

    #64

    he said he only really listened to country music.

    stephaniealvarita Report

    #65

    Showed up to a date in flip-flops.

    louannesltski Report

    #66

    He plugged his nose when he jumped in the pool. Mind you, we are in our late 40’s and live in Florida.

    dindsey49 Report