Honesty is the best policy when it comes to online dating profiles; unfortunately, it is not always the most common policy. Both men and women are guilty of lying on their profiles in an attempt to appear more attractive to the opposite sex, but usually the types of lies they tell are quite different. The following are the five most common lies found on women’s dating profiles.
Weight. Weight is the single most common topic women lie about on their profiles. Most of them do it on their drivers license already, shaving off 10 or even 20 pounds. Dating sites make it even easier to fudge the truth, because instead of listing an exact weight, they simply offer boxes to check next to categories such as “thin”, “athletic”, “about average”, “a few extra pounds”, or “heavyset”. Given these types of descriptions, there are very few women who want to admit to a few extra pounds, and even fewer who will claim the “heavyset” category. Naturally, a phenomenon has emerged in online dating, in which it is commonly assumed that “average” actually does mean “a few extra pounds”, and “a few extra pounds” really means “heavyset”. Most men just go ahead and mentally add those pounds back on when picturing a woman by those descriptions.
Age. Women have lied about their ages for thousands of years, and online dating is no exception. To back up their lie, many will post photos taken years or even a decade before joining the site. Clues to look for are outdated clothing or hair styles, and grainy photos that appear to have been uploaded via a scanner. Naturally, the best way to figure out if a woman is lying about her age, is by meeting her in person. Usually it is quite noticeable that she looks significantly different from her profile picture.
Children. Some women will even lie about having children, knowing that man men wish to date women without kids. This seems a bit silly, since any man who sticks around beyond the first few dates is bound to learn the truth. Sometimes this lie can be understandable, if the woman simply wishes to protect her kids by not attracting men who look for single mothers. If she confesses the lie early on through emails, or on the first date, this can be forgivable.
The outdoors. There appear to be an unusually large number of women on dating sites who enjoy outdoor activities. Certainly, there are women who do love hiking, camping, and other such pursuits. However, a lot of women will simply make this claim to attract men. If you’re suspicious, take her on several outdoorsy dates in the beginning of the relationship. If she doesn’t complain about the heat, bugs, or “being dirty”, then she probably does genuinely enjoy the outdoors.
Money. Many women, particularly single mothers who feel stigmatized, may lie about their income or employment status. They are aware that men are fearful of “gold diggers” or women who just want a man to support them, so they may not admit to being unemployed at first. Keep in mind that being a mother is a full-time job, and her children’s father may pay enough child support that she doesn’t actually have to work outside the home. She may also have gone back to school after the divorce, in order to gain future employment. Under these circumstances, she is probably not after you for your money, and told the fib because she felt judged for her situation in the past. On the other hand, if you get the distinct feeling that she is lying for more underhanded reasons, then she probably is.