Put down that plastic cup: The perils of party pictures
Contributed by: EFoley on Wednesday, November 04 2009 @ 08:22 am
Last modified on Thursday, October 29 2020 @ 10:57 am
It's amazing how much a little red plastic cup can say about you, without you even realizing it.
A good deal of my regular clientele are folks in their 20s and 30s. They fall into two groups (with a little overlap): The Settled Down (focused on career or already with kids) and the Livin' It Up (single/never married, working for the weekend, still partying a bit). If we're going to get really stereotypical, members of the two groups prefer to date their own kind. The Settlers prefer to date other Settlers and the Livins prefer to date other Livins.
Problem is, there's a large group of Livins who are dying to become Settlers. They party, but they look forward to the day when they can just chill out on a Friday night and watch a movie with their One and Only Love. And the only way to achieve that dream is to either a) Date a Settler or b) Date another Livin' that's dying to become a Settler.
If you're a Livin' who wants to become a Settler, that red plastic cup is ruining your chances. I understand - the only time pictures are regularly taken with your group of friends is when you get together to celebrate. It's hard to find pictures of you that don't involve red plastic cups - either cups in your hand or cups in the hands of those around you.
That red plastic cup says fun, party, friends, laughter.... but also... alcohol, drunkenness, immaturity, and a lack of responsibility.
If you're looking to find someone who is also into the red plastic cup lifestyle, then by all means, leave those photos in your profile. But if you're looking to move on and settle down, it's time to trade those photos in for ones of you engaging in more wholesome activities. What about the picture of you carving your jack-o-lantern before Halloween rather than the picture of you with the bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 at the Halloween party? What about the picture of you at a wine tasting rather than the keg party?
Remember that your dating profile should be designed to be attractive to the type of person you'd like to date. Unless you're looking to date someone who spends their weekend evenings clutching a red plastic cup, leave those pictures of yourself in your Facebook albums and off your dating profile.