Most of us have been there – you find a match through online dating who seems like they are the perfect one for you. They like a lot of the same things you do, have the same religious beliefs, and says they feel the same way about kids as you do. Their picture even matches the ideal in your head of what your future spouse will look like. You get to know them through email and texting for a while and then you decide you are ready to meet up for a date. You see them for the first time in person and, surprise! They are not at all like their profile picture. Another surprise… they lied about most of the stuff in their profile. What do you do then?
It can be a really big bummer to find a date through online dating that you think is your perfect match, only to find out they are not at all the way they presented themselves to be. The first thing you need to remember when this happens to you is to be polite. Part of being polite is to stay on the date. You can have conversation, eat your dinner, and then say good night at the end. It would be rude and hurtful if you bailed out on the date at the beginning or right in the middle. No one is saying you have to kiss them or invite them in for more, but at least finish out the date.
After staying for the entire date, if you find that the person really is not all that bad, then this could still be considered a win for online dating. Being single and going on dates is always a risk because you just never know who people are anymore. However, by making conversation and getting to know someone that you thought you would not be attracted to, you may just find that you like them more than you thought you would.
If you do end up liking the person who does not match their online dating profile, you could perhaps delicately broach the subject with them. A lot of times, people use old pictures of themselves because they do not feel that anyone would pick them if they knew they had put on a few extra pounds. Once you find out the reason for the, somewhat innocent, deception, you will feel better and you can both start to explore your relationship further.