"Dating in the Dark" a good idea?
- Sunday, August 15 2010 @ 09:54 am
- Contributed by: kellyseal
- Views: 1,555
This week’s premiere of the new dating reality show “Dating in the Dark” lets contestants date potential matches without seeing what they look like.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the resulting show was as altruistic as the premise seemed to be. If you couldn’t see someone, would you be more or less conscious about what they looked like? Also, wouldn't you still consider looks a factor in measuring attraction?
In the first episode, we meet 3 single men and 3 single women. They are not allowed to see each other when they meet; all encounters are made in the dark. It seems that initial attraction would be based on conversation rather than looks, but this is not the case, at least with one contestant.
One of the bachelors (Joey) decides to feel Natasha’s waist during their one-on-one date to make sure she isn’t “too fat”. He goes on to tell her his anxiety about dating overweight women, and how his last girlfriend “blew up like a tick” after they started dating.
Joey comes across as superficial during the show, but I have to wonder how many others were just as concerned about what their dates looked like. It seems that because contestants couldn’t see each other, including mannerisms or facial expressions, it would be difficult to make a decision about whether there is a connection. Even when we online date, we look at pictures first.
Does dating in the dark work better in real life? I can see the potential of “getting beyond the physical” when first starting to date by not actually being able to see each other, but I think ultimately it’s just another distraction in getting to know a person. I don’t think a dark room helps us to better assess who they are, or to make a real connection.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the resulting show was as altruistic as the premise seemed to be. If you couldn’t see someone, would you be more or less conscious about what they looked like? Also, wouldn't you still consider looks a factor in measuring attraction?
In the first episode, we meet 3 single men and 3 single women. They are not allowed to see each other when they meet; all encounters are made in the dark. It seems that initial attraction would be based on conversation rather than looks, but this is not the case, at least with one contestant.
One of the bachelors (Joey) decides to feel Natasha’s waist during their one-on-one date to make sure she isn’t “too fat”. He goes on to tell her his anxiety about dating overweight women, and how his last girlfriend “blew up like a tick” after they started dating.
Joey comes across as superficial during the show, but I have to wonder how many others were just as concerned about what their dates looked like. It seems that because contestants couldn’t see each other, including mannerisms or facial expressions, it would be difficult to make a decision about whether there is a connection. Even when we online date, we look at pictures first.
Does dating in the dark work better in real life? I can see the potential of “getting beyond the physical” when first starting to date by not actually being able to see each other, but I think ultimately it’s just another distraction in getting to know a person. I don’t think a dark room helps us to better assess who they are, or to make a real connection.
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