Dating

How tempting is it to send one or two messages after it’s clear that you’ve been ghosted? Or to make a bit of a fuss because your date clearly isn’t reaching out anymore and you feel slightly embarrassed? Honestly, if I got a euro for every time a date has figuratively left me out in the cold by disappearing off the face of the earth, I could book a very nice vacation. And, unfortunately for me, if I also got a euro for every awkward action that followed...

In Dating Disasters, anonymous readers share their most embarrassing, cringeworthy, and dramatic dates. This week: a letdown at the Amsterdam canal. I’ve never made a secret of the fact that I’m not a star at driving. I was very relieved when my date said he would pick me up for an evening in the heart of Amsterdam. If I had to get myself there, I would either never have arrived or ended up with my car in a canal. I really don’t understand how people dare to park their car there, so I was glad that I...

In Dating Disasters, anonymous readers share their most embarrassing, cringeworthy, and dramatic dates. This week: when you are not someone's only sweetheart. Jeroen and I had been dating for a while and had seen each other about six times when my dating disaster occurred. I liked him quite a bit, but I could still appreciate time with myself. He said he really liked that about me and encouraged me when I said I would go to the movies alone on the weekend. I hadn't said which day or to which...

Leonardo DiCaprio with a much younger girlfriend or Chris Evans with a woman who is quite a few years younger: the greater the age difference in a relationship, the quicker we have an opinion about it. But when does such an age gap actually become really big? Of course, there is no fixed rule for love, but research does show at what age difference relationships on average have the greatest chance of success. The ideal difference Actually, you can follow one rule: the greater the age difference, the greater the chance of problems in a relationship. This is because if you are both in very different life stages, you can...

In Dating Disasters, anonymous readers share their most embarrassing, cringeworthy, and dramatic dates. This week: the third wheel. The evening started promisingly. I had arranged to meet someone with whom I thought we had a great connection. Our conversations were lively and our interests seemed to align, so we decided to meet at a cozy restaurant. However, I soon noticed that my date, let's call him Alex, was good at flirting. That could have been fun if he had actually done it with me. Unfortunately, he seemed to have more eyes for the waitress. From the...

Handsome, handsome, handsome. Yes, handsome, yes. Okay, what I might find handsome, you don't necessarily have to find handsome. But there is a general idea of where the most handsome men can be found. Beauty is, of course, subjective (and a bit dependent on your taste), but when we talk about where the most handsome men in Europe are often praised, you have a few delightful sweet spots: 1. Italy Italy is usually at the top of almost every discussion or poll about attractiveness. They are often referred to for their style in fashion, confidence, and their Mediterranean...

In Dating Disasters, anonymous readers share their most embarrassing, cringeworthy, and dramatic dates. This week: the colleague. I didn't find him that attractive. In fact, I didn't even realize at first that we were on a date. We worked together and decided to go for a drink after work. Fine, I thought. I had nothing better to do anyway. Besides, it was always quite nice when we were together and we could laugh well with each other. Just like this time, when we ended up together on a terrace. I liked that I was developing a nice, budding friendship from my...

Do we still remember the iconic quote from Charlotte York in SATC? ‘I’ve been dating since I was fifteen. I’m exhausted, where is he?!’ I think I can speak for every modern woman when I say that we have all felt this way at some point. When I think of Charlotte, I always think of my dear friend E, who was also single for many years before the perfect man suddenly fell into her lap. She had it all: a good job, a beautiful house, can cook fantastically, and I know no one who has as much love to give as she does. ‘What am I doing wrong?’ she asked...

First dates are, as far as I'm concerned, nightmare material. That's why I prefer to cancel them before they even take place, and so far that has ensured that I am still single and not dating. So definitely don't follow me for dating tips, but hey, I can't help it. I'm a Virgo and this is just written in the stars. I rank number one on this list of the most awkward zodiac signs during a first date. 1. Virgo As a Virgo, I can confirm this: we are terrible on the first date. No matter how extroverted we can...

In Dating Disasters, anonymous readers share their most embarrassing, cringeworthy, and dramatic dates. This week: blunt Boas. To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to my date with Boas (that wasn't his real name, but we'll call him that for the story). I had already had a number of bad dates, and this one didn't seem promising at first glance either. Boas and I had matched a few times on a dating app, but we never actually met up. That already says enough about the (non-existent) mutual interest, but that evening I had...