Online Dating: is Beauty Really in the Eye of the Beholder

You know weird things happen sometimes on first dates. You get a bad hair day. You trip while walking towards your date. You get up on the wrong side of the bed. And one day you just can't get anything right no matter how hard you try. These things leave lasting impressions on your dates; some may be good or bad, funny or irritating. But not in online dating where first impression is in your control.

In online dating, you take control of the first shot to initially impress another person. How? Well, by providing a picture in your profile. Physical appearance is really important and it plays a huge role in online dating. Besides, you do not want to talk to ghosts.

Some people may think it is irrelevant to show their online dates how they look. Perhaps, they are embarrassed of how they look. They fear the initial reaction of rejection upon seeing their picture, and they want daters to see within first and ignore physical features. Others may think that it is not a safe thing to do or scared of being stalked by unlikable individuals. Others may also think it is not really important at all. They think their profile can already impress and attract individuals of their preference. Few seem to have no recent picture at all. Besides, would it not be funny to post your high school picture when you're already past 40?

You must realize that posting a picture in an online dating site is a big leap towards finding your dream date. Physical appearance still matters. I am not saying that you need to have that Angelina-Jolie lips to have a Brad Pitt-like hot date. My point is that a picture is very important because it shows the other person what you look like. You do not have to be the ideal beautiful girl or handsome guy to get a nice picture or to let other daters contact you. A nice picture is any picture that is taken when you look your best. It is something recent, not deceiving and vulgar. It may look simple to you but may exude a certain kind of elegance for other daters.

Even if your profile is outstanding, many people will question why you have not posted a picture. They will start to make speculations, bad judgments, or remove you from their list of prospects. And, of course, you do not want such things to happen.

Deceiving online daters may at times post another person's picture. This does not sound good, especially when you find yourself falling in love with the other person you have been communicating with already. Worst, if the feeling is mutual, this is definitely a big problem when you meet up.

Any explanation afterwards will not help you get out of the situation or get back to that mutual attraction. Besides your physical appearance integrity also counts in online dating.