What If Your Date Looks Nothing Like Their Online Dating Photo?

Most people, when browsing for potential dates on an online dating site, will browse by photo first. This means that they make a decision whether to learn more about a person by the photo the person leaves. If the person is too fat, old or they're the wrong nationality, or if they're not good looking enough for our tastes, we'll often pass them by. Call it shallow or call it picky, it's just fact that we like certain types of people and we can't change that. It's no secret that looks play a huge role in the dating game, but what happens when the person doesn't look anything like their photo? What if you've chosen someone partly because of that photo but it all turns out to be a lie? Believe it or not, this is a common problem many daters face.

Older And A Bit Fatter

The typical reason for daters not looking like their profile photos is because the photos were taken years before. It's common to want to put our best photos on our dating profiles. It's all about putting the best foot forward and all that. While it's important to upload profile photos that show you in the best light, you should only include photos that were taken within the past year or so.

If your profile photo shows you ten years and twenty pounds ago, you're going to get an interesting reaction when you show up for your first offline date. If you're on the other side and you're just now meeting someone who looks nothing like their profile photo, it's ok to call them out on it.

Honesty Is The Best Policy

Including a photo that shows you younger and thinner than you actually are, or if you cleverly used shadows and Photoshop to hide your true self, that is essentially like lying. It is no better than telling untruths about how much money you make or about how far you went in school. Be honest with your dates and only include photos that show you for you. There is someone out there for everyone. You will find love no matter what you look like. Get a recent photo and show you as you truly are for best results.

And if you're on the other side and you've recently met someone who doesn't look like their profile photo, you are not being rude if you decide to end the date. The person was not honest with you and that is no way to begin a relationship. It is completely up to you to proceed but you should not feel obligated. The person obviously didn't respect you enough to be honest, so why should you feel obligated to keep the date?