Photo: C Rolan / Shutterstock
By Danielle Page — Written on Sep 14, 2022
As the age-old saying goes, it's the little things that matter — and when it comes to first dates, these ladies could not agree more.
What little things were instant turn-offs and dealbreakers for women? What did these women have to say about the minor details that sent them packing — from weird smells to slight deformities?
Here are 12 little things that are huge dealbreakers for women:
1. He has a bad odor.
"I once kissed a guy on a first date, and he reminded me of what milk would smell like if it had a smell... and I never went out with him again." —Lindsay, 32
2. He forces his lifestyle on others.
"I went on a first date with this guy from OkCupid. He was a vegan, and kept going on and on about how he doesn't eat eggs because an egg is a chicken, period, and how he won't eat honey because it's 'bee barf'. I was done after that." —Amira, 29
3. He loves cats a little too much.
"When a guy told me he loves cats and hates dogs! Sorry, but I’m a dog lady!" —Jamie, 35
4. He isn't into the same nerdy things.
"I went on a first date with a guy who told me he never read 'Harry Potter.' For whatever reason, this proved to be a huge dealbreaker. It kept coming up!" —Ricki, 29
5. He has inferior produce knowledge.
"He didn't know what an avocado was. I couldn't date him." —Judi, 31
6. He sweats — a lot.
"He was massively sweating. Not because I was so beautiful, but because he was so hungover." —Joy, 32
7. He has slight physical deformities.
"A guy with club thumbs? I'm sorry, I could never date a guy with freakin' club thumbs." —Stephanie, 33
8. He's not into healthy eating.
"I went on a date with a guy who told me he 'didn't really do vegetables.' Like, he just didn't eat them ever." —Yasmin, 37
9. He's a radio geek.
"As soon as a guy starts talking about his CB radio, I'm out of there. I wouldn't get up and leave, but there wouldn't be a second date." —Kimberli, 46
10. He's way too picky about food.
"I went on a date once with a guy who was Kosher. Throughout the date, he explained to me that that means he won't eat pork or seafood. In a foodie's mind, that screams red flag! As a real lover of all seafood, this is a relationship that I knew would just never work out." —Alli, 32
11. He hates reading.
"A date once told me that he thought it didn't 'make sense' to read fiction. I read a novel or more a week." —Patti, 34
12. He's never driven a car.
"He didn't drive. At all. He never wanted to drive, and never wants to drive. When I asked him how he got around, he told me he has everything he needs delivered, and if he needs to leave the house, he has a housemate who drives him where he needs to go." —Lisa, 26
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Danielle Page is a writer and editor whose work has been featured on Woman’s Day, Bustle, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times, Thought Catalog, and Huffington Post.