When you’re single AF, there are definitely some things that you love — watching all kinds of girly TV shows guilt-free, going out with your BFFs all the time, focusing on your career — but there are also things that you hate. The thing that you hate the most, of course, is definitely all the bad dates that you go on.
It would be awesome if there was some kind of 100 percent guarantee that you would meet the love of your life before going on a first date. Sadly, that’s all but a dream. If you’re looking to change your single status and find someone ~special~, then you have to go on dates. While every first date is unique, especially when it’s bad, there are some crappy dates that all single women go on. It’s pretty comforting to know that you’re not the only one going through this annoying and sh*tty stuff. Check out the gallery to find out the 16 types of bad dates we all have when living the #single life.
1. The crazy date
Oh, the crazy date. This is the date where absolutely nothing makes sense and the person sitting across from you at the bar is just absolutely nuts. There’s really no other way to say it. He’ll complain about things that don’t matter, or he’ll go on a rant about something so random that you can’t even follow his train of thought, or he’ll disagree with honestly every word that you say. Or all of those things at once. It’s wild. This is the kind of date that makes you grateful for your friends since you know that later, you’ll be hilariously retelling this story to them, even though at the time you feel, quite frankly, disturbed. At least you can get a good laugh out of it… right?
2. The date where the guy wants a girlfriend ASAP
This is a super tricky one since of course, you want a boyfriend — that’s why you’re on a date and not in the club tonight. But you don’t just want *any* boyfriend. And you definitely can’t agree to be someone’s one and only just because they suggest such a thing on the first date. Yup, unfortunately, some guys will make it super clear on the first date that they’re dying to settle down and they just have this feeling that you’re the perfect person. It’s uncomfortable. And usually, it’s also very superficial.
3. The date where he’s… not looking for a girlfriend ASAP
Have you ever been on a date (usually a Tinder date) where ten minutes in the guy invites you over? If you’re single AF, then you probably have. You probably want to get to know him a bit better before heading over to his place… since you don’t even know what he does for a living (is he a serial killer?!) or if he’s got roommates or really anything at all.
After that, the entire date is super awkward because they aren’t really down to hang if you’re not down to…. haaaaaang. It’s totally his fault for coming on too strong and not just letting things unfold naturally. Or he should’ve just said what he was looking for in the initial messaging. The worst is that maybe you would have actually liked him, but now he’s ruined the whole evening.
4. The really and truly boring date
The funny thing about being single AF is that when you go on a really boring first date, it’s kind of a relief. It’s not as horrible as some of the other types of dates that you’ve been on. But… it’s still pretty awful to experience these kinds of evenings. Especially because you’re a busy lady and don’t really have time to waste four hours when Dancing with the Stars is on.
It makes you wonder why certain guys just seem to have zero personalities and why you have to carry the whole conversation. Being so damn interesting almost feels like a straight-up burden. You try your best to ask questions but if someone isn’t giving anything back then there’s really not much that you can do.
5. The date where he talks about himself the entire time
Ugh. Just the thought of this type of date is probably enough to make you want to never go out with anyone again. You’ve definitely been on a ton of first dates where the guy talks about himself… and talks about himself… and talks about himself. You want to tell him that maybe he would be more interesting if he knew how to shut up sometimes. You tend to tune these kinds of guys out and leave as soon as it seems polite enough to do so. There’s no love connection being made on these bad dates.
6. The date where he is rude to you and everyone else, too
It’s safe to say that meeting a nice guy is pretty high on your list of goals. You’ve got a bomb-ass career and a pretty great group of friends and just *enough* time to spare on a weekly basis on a dude. That said, if he’s a jerk, you’re not going to be rushing into a relationship with him (or even going on a second date).
When a guy is super rude to you, insulting you or even telling you that your opinions are totally wrong, you’re not going to have a good time. If he’s even rude to the waiter or waitress, you can be sure that he’s just not a good person. Boy, BYE!
7. The date with a mansplainer
While the term mansplainer is pretty new, the behavior has been around since forever. Being single AF means that you’ve encountered the mansplainer in his natural habitat (AKA first dates, especially first dates that were brought to be from the web). He tells you what you think and feel because he’s so ~in tune~. He tells you how to do your own job or how to advance in your career, even if you’re already doing amazing things. He treats you like you have no idea what you’re talking about when it comes to politics or sports or even the menu. It’s like, HI, I know what blue cheese is because I’ve been alive for 20+ years I don’t need your detailed explanation of the nuances in the flavor.
When this happens, you have every right to leave the date early, or even just disappear to the bathroom and never come back. Seriously, don’t even feel bad about it. He doesn’t feel bad about being so insulting and misogynistic.
8. The stoned/high date
If you thought that someone wouldn’t show up to a first date clearly on something, you would be wrong. Because it totally happens. Frequently. The longer you’re single AF, the more guys you meet and you will literally meet every possible type of human being including the one who shows up for your date blazed out of his mind.
This guy might not even be able to keep his eyes open and if there are nachos on the menu at the place that you’re grabbing drinks, you can be sure that he’s ordering them. While you’re not against nachos (aka the best food ever), you are against showing up to a date in this condition. Is it really too much ask for your date to be conscious, alert and awake?!
9. The date who you have to block after
Oh, technology. It makes dating easier because you can find dates on dating apps and keep in touch via texting between hang-outs. And it makes dating harder because, well, texting brings its whole host of issues. One of the worst things is that some guys don’t know how to let go once you’ve rejected them. When you have a bad first date and tell the guy that you don’t think there’s any chemistry (or just say goodbye without saying that it was fun, which is pretty similar), he keeps texting you. He just doesn’t take no for an answer. Thankfully, you can block his number, but it’s creepy AF.
10. The date who extends the evening then blows you off
There are only so many ways to tell if a guy is into you. While him just straight-up saying it is the best way to figure it out, sometimes we’ve all gotta read between the lines. If a guy extends the date and invites you to a movie after you grab dinner or drinks and you’re feelin’ him too, then you’re probably going to take this as a great sign that things could be moving in the right direction. That’s proof that he likes you and wants to see you again, isn’t it?
Unfortunately, sometimes the guy will totally disappear after and you’ll never hear from him again. Even when he was the one who said he’d like to see you again. This is completely confusing and makes you think that nothing that guys do makes sense… which is probably the truth, TBH.
11. The date who leads you on
This is the guy who tells you everything that you’ve been waiting to hear on a first date for as long as you’ve been single AF. He says that this was great and you should go on a second date. He might even suggest a day and time. Maybe he even texts you that same evening and says the same thing. And then… it doesn’t happen. There’s either radio silence and you never hear from him, or he brings up some stupid excuse about being too busy with work to date anyone. That, or he hits you up out of the blue every once in a while with some lame excuse about being M.I.A.
12. The date who is super late
It seems like it’s a pretty good idea to be on time for a first date (or for anything, really). Not everyone feels that way, though. One of the worst dates you can go on is the one where you wait there for what feels like hours because the guy is just so crazy late. He keeps texting you with different reasons. He’ll say that he just left work or the gym or that he’s stuck in traffic. After 30 minutes, he’ll tell you that he just left his house. Hopefully, you leave before even meeting him because no one should do that to someone. Talk about a bad first impression.
13. The date who won’t drink, orders dinner and eats slowly
Sure, not everyone drinks. People have their reasons: they want to focus on their health, they don’t like the taste, they save alcohol for special occasions. On a first date, though, you really want a drink. It can get you through the worst evening. When your date won’t drink and then orders dinner and takes an hour and a half to eat his meal, it’s enough to drive you crazy.
It’s like being tortured… especially if the date is already boring, which it probably is. This is one of those super specific bad dates that you start going on when you’re officially single AF and thinking about staying that way.
14. The date who tells the waiter that he wants to leave without asking you
What happened to politeness or common decency? Apparently, it’s not a thing on first dates. Even if you’re halfway through your first glass of red wine, your date will still sometimes call the waiter over and make it clear that he wants to leave without even asking if you’re done. Sure, by this point it’s clear that you’re not well matched and there isn’t going to be a second date, but you would like him to at least be polite about it. And you would definitely like to finish your drink. Just saying.
15. The super negative date who clearly doesn’t want to be there
Look, it’s not like you absolutely love going on first dates. You would much rather hang out with your friends… or watch Netflix… or even do laundry. But you show up and you show up in a good mood. You want to make a good impression and you never know, this date could be awesome after the initial awkwardness. Then you meet the guy and he’s in a horrible mood and can’t snap out of it. Everything he says is negative and it’s obvious that he would rather be anywhere else but there. You’re having so much fun, right? There’s no point trying to cheer this guy up or even talk to him much longer. If he can’t get it together for a date, then there’s something weird going on, and you really don’t need that in your life.
16. The date who never shows up at all
Getting stood up is something that happens on TV and in the movies. Not real life. Right? Well, if you’re strictly single, you do get stood up sometimes. You could literally be sitting at the bar and waiting and then realize that this guy is just not going to show up, or you could be about to leave the house and you get a super vague message that he’s canceling. He might even say that he’s just not in a good mood so he couldn’t possibly go on the date. Another common situation that totally counts is when you say “let’s hang on Saturday” and then Saturday rolls around and he ghosts the $h*! out of you.
Yup, all those have happened. All you can do is hope that the next date you go on is nothing like these, right? May the force be with you.