Vent: My aunt told me to 'just be yourself' before a date, but that was the worst advice I ever got.

She said it right before I went out with someone in Portland last year. I took it literally and ended up talking about my weird hobby of collecting old bottle caps for two hours straight. The date never texted me back, which was a pretty clear sign. Has anyone else gotten advice that sounded nice but totally backfired in real life?

4 comments

4 Comments

hannah4002mo ago

Honestly, your aunt gave you perfect advice and you actually proved it worked. Talking about bottle caps for two hours showed your real passion, and that date just wasn't the right fit for the real you. If you had pretended to be into normal stuff, you might have gotten a second date with someone who doesn't actually like you. That sounds way worse. The goal is to find someone who clicks with your true self, not to trick someone into liking a fake version of you. That bad date just saved you a lot of time.

skyler_jackson272mo ago

Right? I'd rather watch paint dry than fake interest in football for another date. At least bottle caps are cool (to me, anyway).

stellaperry1mo ago

Exactly. Faking it just means you're stuck watching games you hate every Sunday. Better to find the weirdo who gets just as excited about bottle caps as you do.

victor7792mo ago

Hannah's right about the goal being to find someone who clicks. My true self once spent a whole date explaining how I organize my sock drawer by fiber content. It did not lead to a love connection, but it was efficient.