Match.com advertises that 1 in 5 relationships start online and most start on their site. But how do you know if it's really worth taking the plunge? There used to be some serious stigma attached to the world of online dating, but nowadays, it's become more socially acceptable for people to find their love matches using this outlet.
It's also become a growing trend for our generation, or as we haughtily refer to ourselves as, “20-somethings.” Most 20-somethings profile's adopt identical introductions such as, “My friend signed me up” or “I never thought I'd be on a dating site…” because clearly, standing up and admitting they actually want to find love would be far worse than blending in with every other profile.
Throwing my inhibitions to the wind, I decided to sign myself up on Match.com. Admittedly exhausted of meeting the same frat boys every weekend at their frequented Lower East Side bars, I figured, why not give it a shot? I naively thought that, by having the ability to sift through and screen profiles, I'd somehow avoid the sweet talkers, when in reality, they can still fool you, even from behind the computer screen.
I'm pretty certain I covered every personality type out there through my dating experiences on Match.com.
There was the kick-off date, and he was a frat boy…naturally. He spoke fluent surfer dude and even called me dude, but my personal favorite was how he and his roommates referred to themselves as, “The Co-Pilots.” Enough said.
Then there was the socially awkward Ivy-Leaguer that stared in silence, only speaking when spoken to and ultimately revealing to me that he was, in fact, a 28-year-old virgin - your typical first date talk, undoubtedly.
One of the most memorable was the Au-Pair, prep-school raised guy from New England, who, after dating for a couple of months, decided the best place to end things was after midnight, at an LES bar, in front of my friends.
He topped it off with equal amounts of class by proceeding to walk about two feet away from me and begin talking to another girl directly in front of me. I couldn't even walk out with dignity because my jacket was also stolen that same night, and I was forced to walk home in a T-shirt in the middle of winter. Epic fail.
I was about to give up on dating altogether due to my various failed attempts, when I came across something that tugged on my RomCom heartstrings. A cuter version of a Chris Manzo (“Real Housewives of New Jersey”) lookalike, with a headline that quoted “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” As a movie buff with a soft spot for 90s Jim Carey, how could I not reach out?
Normally, when you get an email from someone on a dating site, you tend to go back and forth emailing, exchange numbers and ultimately text each other to make a date and meet in person. It's pretty depressing how we find texting to be the most efficient form of contacting one another nowadays. We 20-somethings are like slaves to the texting movement and use it as our sole source of communication.
Setting him apart almost immediately was the fact that “Manzo” called me. That's right, he called me on the phone! Imagine that, a guy who actually picks up the phone and calls a girl?
Although I missed his initial phone call, because I was caught up in an episode of “The Bachelor,” we wound up sharing about 45 minutes of the next the night talking to each other and felt like we really hit it off. Excited to meet this marvel in person, we set up a date soon after. But much like the delayed phone conversation, our date didn't happen until about two weeks later because I had to cancel on the poor guy twice. I was shocked he even still wanted to go out with me.
I will NEVER forget our first date. Normally, you try and put your best foot forward when meeting someone for the first time. I did - my foot just happened to slip off the platform of the bar and led to me nearly landing face-first onto the ground. Apparently not answering my phone, cancelling our date twice AND falling on my face were the figurative and literal steps I needed to take in order to make this guy mine.
Every now and again, fate has a funny way of working itself out. That, or a highly probable matchmaking database really does find you your perfect match. Either way, I said goodbye to the endless search of the finding the perfect guy and found myself a perfectly imperfect person who truly does love me for me.
So, later Match.com, and thanks.
Top Photo Credit: Getty
