There are four very common types of dating app photos that you should never post on any dating site or dating app, as they will always lower your social value or will make you look downright lame, especially in the eye of the more discerning viewer – someone how care not only about how you look but also about what your photos say about who you are.
1. Selfies
This girl is undeniably cure, but … what does this type of photo say about her?
Some people talk about which selfies are good and which aren’t. I don’t think there is such a thing is a good selfie. A photo of you where you are holding a camera with your hand close to your face is never a good picture. You should not be posting selfies not only on dating sites but anywhere else either, and this includes Facebook. The only reason I can think of to ever take a selfie is when you want to say hello to someone, you take a quite shot spontaneously, and you send it to them. However, there is no reason to ever post a selfie publicly, because they are never flattering. It takes a minimal amount of effort to ask someone to take a normal picture of you, or, when all else fails, use a tripod and a timer function on your camera to take the right type of photo. There is no reason for you not to have “normal” pictures. Bathroom mirror selfies are ever worse than regularly selfies, and unless you are a 14 year-old girl who experiments with her sex appeal, you should never even think about taking a picture in front of a bathroom mirror.
2. Gym / Fitness / Yoga Photos
A beautiful photo, but so overused and unoriginal.
Gym photos make you look lame, no matter what you look like. If you are ripped guy, it makes you look like a self-absorbed, fitness obsessed narcissist, especially if you pose shirtless. If you are out of shape, then you will look even more unattractive if you are standing at a gym. If you are an attractive woman, a gym photo will attract the wrong type of attention. And if you are out of shape, then it’s going to be a turn off. Also, the gym background in a photo doesn’t exactly add anything interesting or unique. It can look kind of depressing, suggesting that you spend way too much time at a gym. TRX , Crossfit and spin class photos are no better. And yoga pose photos have been soooooo overused, that they also look lame. If you want to make it a point that you are active, you can just mention in your profile that you like to work out and leave it at that. Save the details for later for those people you actually met and get to know. The people who are looking at your profile are not looking for a work-out buddy, so you don’t have to convince them that you love going to the gym.
3. “Indiana Jones” Photos
Many people post photos of themselves standing in a very exotic remote location or hanging off some cliff, or wearing a scuba diving gear or skydiving. This has all become too cliche and unoriginal, because everyone is doing this. I will also let you in on a little “secret” – snowboarding or scuba diving grear is not the most flattering look for a woman. But, if you really want to post something like this, limit it to one or may be two photos, but not more.
4. “Seductive” Pictures
Any photos with duck lips or any type of seductive pose or bedroom facial expression will necessarily make you look lame. And if you are a woman who thinks that posting a very suggesting picture is flattering to you and will get you the right type of attention from men online, just watch the amount of dirty messages and comments you get. Women who post borderline soft-porn pictures and who complain about the rude messages they get from guys always puzzled me. If you work so hard to invite this type of attention, why would you expect anything else. And if you are craving attention from anyone and everyone, then be honest about it, at least with yourself.
And any guy who is flexing muscles in front of a mirror is guaranteed to have any half decent woman roll her yes.
It’s really a good idea for you to go through their dating profile or dating app photos and make sure that you don’t have any of the above three types of photos posted. This is especially important if you want to attract the attention of higher quality people – the ones who are pickier and are looking for some substance behind the pictures.
First, you are welcome for telling you these in my previous post a couple years ago in the examples of good and bad profiles… However, I think you missed a couple more:
– Duck Face:
For some reason, women were convinced that puckering their lips in photos made them look fuller and therefore, they looked sexier and better than a simple smile. Thanks Kardashians. As a male, I can tell you wholeheartedly, that this is completely untrue. In fact, it doesn’t make you look good, it makes you look very unattractive. Additionally, while I try not to prescribe to jumping to conclusions about an individual based on limited information, I tend to lean toward believing that those posing in this manner tend to be vane and superficial. My suggestion is be yourself and SMILE!
– Angles/Good Side:
I have seen profiles where almost every picture of the woman was from some unique angle. You could call this a selfie, but many of these photos are not taken by the individual. Related to this, I have also seen profiles that have dozens of pictures, and in each and every picture, the woman’s face is facing the same general direction, as if to say, this is my good side. This smacks of presentation, and looks weird. Is your head injured? Can you only look in one direction? Take real pictures and move your face in different poses, don’t make it look like your face was cut and pasted on every photo.
– Pets:
Do not include ANY photos of your pets unless you are in the photo and you are the focus in the photo. Nobody cares about your pet. NOBODY. They might be interested that you have one, but only so far as to see you first and foremost, and your pet second.
– Kids:
Never post pictures of you and your kids without blurring your kids face. The only reason you should use a picture with your kid is because the picture of you was a good one. If you can, crop your kid out. And absolutely, if you are a parent of a 20 something, do NOT post those pics. It is very confusing and you look like a pedophile. Doesn’t matter if you explain it. Just don’t use those pics. If you love your kid, say so in your profile. Otherwise, leave them off the internet.
– Superfriends
Too many women love to post their pics of them and their 3-15 besties. Out at the club, on the beach, in the restaurant. Hanging out at a party, or just doing anything. Men glean three things from this: (1) which one is actually you, (2) are you ever not with your friends, and (3) wow, the girl to your right is actually cuter than you… My suggestion is not to post any group photos. I am not trying to date your friends. Just you.
– DRINKING
If you have one profile pic where you happen to be holding a drink, OK. But any more than that, and frankly, you look like a potential alcoholic. Granted, many men are and might not have a problem with it. However, if you are looking to date someone who is responsible and mature, you will not attract him if you are holding drinks in many of your pictures.