Every day, single women devote countless hours to pondering the mystery of men. We analyze our behavior, their behavior, vocal nuances, hypothetical scenarios, even the punctuation of a text message, all in an effort to determine what they’re thinking, what they like and don’t like. When things go badly for no apparent reason, we meticulously comb every detail of every interaction for clues about what went wrong. Although remarkably little ink in men’s magazines is devoted to making over women or determining whether oft-cited flaws are terminal, guys have their own (mental) list of women’s undateable traits. Men from around the country agreed: they hate these five things that single women love.
1. Flakiness. From the big city to the high plains, the chief complaint men had about single women was that they’re too flakey. Not returning phone calls, texts or emails, last minute plan changes, lateness and not doing what you say you’re going to do is as frustrating to a guy as it is to you. Whether you’re into him or not, following the Golden Rule will earn his respect (and keep you from engendering Bad Date Karma).
2. Over-the-top independence. Surprised? It’s not that men want to go back to the Stone Age, but they do want to be able to indulge in a little chivalry without a knee-jerk chorus of “I can do it myself”s. “Single women have done such a good job at creating their lives to not need a man, so that when one comes along, they don’t have any time for him,” said John, 35-year-old now-married professor from Florida.
3. Your biological clock. If your biological clock is ticking so loudly that you can’t hear the dinner conversation, a man is going to notice… and head for the hills. Similarly, if you’re constantly so worried about where the relationship is going that you can’t enjoy where the relationship is, you won’t have a relationship to worry about for long.
4. Clamoring for a nice guy, but dating bad boys. Nice guys are sick of hearing how you keep meeting egoists, flunkies and freaks. “So, that Facebook pic of him taken in the mirror without a shirt didn’t tip you off that he may be more into himself than you?” inquired one 33-year-old good-guy from Texas. Rather than blaming your geographic location or their entire gender for the lack of quality dating material, several men suggested a long, hard look in the mirror. One aptly blunt New York lawyer, 30, said, “We hate hot girls bitching about how they don’t have boyfriends because there are no good men and not realizing it’s because they’re high maintenance or boring.” Yowch.
5. …And your little dog, too. Treating your pet (guys specifically mentioned “little dogs,” in addition to cats) like a boyfriend or a child drives men crazy… and not in the good way. It’s fine to love your pup, just try not to mention your four-legged friend more than once or twice per conversation.
What else do single women do that irks men?