According to a survey used for the 2011 HBO documentary When Strangers Click: Five Stories From the Internet, men's greatest fear going on a blind date pertains to the woman's weight. Women's greatest fear? That the man is a potential serial killer.
Simple PickUp, a dating site for men, recently tested these findings, and the results were pretty dramatic.
They sent two people undercover on online dates, one female, one male. First, they solicited dates using their thin (real life) photos. Then, before each date, they used body adhesives and make up to alter their appearances, making them both physically larger. The dates weren't notified of the change and showed up to very different people. Hidden cameras were set up at the site to record their reactions and here's what happened.
To her:
And to him:
The guys were visibly upset and quickly commented on her changed appearance. One even asked if she was pregnant. "I really don't appreciate people lying to me," one said before storming out of the restaurant. Another said, "I wasted my gas and time to come over here and I can't do this." Few got to know her on a personal level. One went to the toilet and never came back. One told her he was married. Only one stayed and found out that it had been an experiement.
When the roles were reversed, the women were kinder. Three of the five agreed to a second date, and one even hopped up at the end of the date to go on a hike with him. Each date acknowledged his looks were different, but none was outright critical. They forgave him very quickly for using outdated profile photos, whereas the men couldn't get past the fact that she looked nothing like her profile photo.
Were you surprised or not by the results?
What advice fo you have for women dating online in light of the way men acted during this social experiment?
Photo source: Northants Herald & Post
Unfortunately, I'm not surprised but the results are certainly maddening.