Firstly, I have to confess that I haven't made contact with a single woman because I'm too cheap to pay for the subscription and am self-conscious of the fact that I'm out of work. Therefore, my observations are based solely on reading the profiles of potential matches on match.com and not on actual people in person.
I don't know if a memo went out to all women within an age group but the same stock phrases appear time and again. I haven't read the profiles of any men so I don't know if my own profile would suffer from the same syndrome but a cliche makes someone look uninteresting and unappealing.
"I love to go out but I also love staying at home on the sofa with a bottle of wine and a DVD"
This on its own is fine but it seems that every other woman states this to the extent that it should be taken as a given.
"One of my favourite things is going to the gym. I'm a real gym bunny."
I understand that the purpose of a dating site is to make oneself appear attractive so it could be that this is a thinly veiled way of saying, "I'm not fat" but as a hobby it makes people sound pretty dull. "I like to run on a treadmill as often as possible" Wow, let's talk about that. I can't help but think, "No wonder you don't meet anyone, try going down the pub where your stock personality might be welcome"
"I love travelling"
Maybe if you stay in one place for long enough rather than travelling to the cliched destination of Australia you might get to know someone a bit better.
"I love long walks in the country"
I don't get this at all. Is this something that men are meant to find attractive or do people genuinely love walking in the country so much that it's a prominent statement in their profile? Personally, I love cities but that doesn't sound mystical or middle-aged.
"Harry Potter"
I have a pretty high opinion of myself based partly on aspiring to be better. One of the first things I look at is a person's choice of books. I'm not expecting to see numerous profiles listing the collected works of Dostoevsky as their preferred reading material (I've never read any of his work myself) but there does seem to be an emphasis on the "trashy" and infantile. I have not read any Harry Potter. I understand that they're entertaining books but they're aimed at children and young teenagers. It raises the question, Are women genuinely that undemanding of the books they read or is there a perception amongst women that men don't want an intelligent woman? Is there a stigma attached to reading something more highbrow? I find it hard to believe that there are no women out there who read nothing more than celebrity magazines and children's books.
Photos
This is the first thing that takes my attention. I know it's difficult to get an ideal photo of oneself but should one at least make the effort to use a flattering photo? I wouldn't chose to contact a woman whose photo depicts her with a can of lager between her breasts. I've also noticed that a lot of photos appear to have been taken at weddings which screams "I AM DESPERATE TO GET MARRIED". Maybe it's just me but I'm not looking to get married.
For the time being I shall continue to gawk at people I don't know.
