Dating 101
AMY REDEKOPP
In the fast-paced, technologically advanced society that we call home, the way we date is significantly different from the way of our parents, with the introduction of classified ads, speed dating, commercials with sexy, scantily clad women advertising telephone dating lines, online dating sites, etc.. These different dating methods all have one thing in common: they don’t involve direct, genuine human interaction.
Sure, I admit not leaving the house is convenient especially in these cold Winnipeg winter months. I agree that is easier to communicate with complete strangers via the Internet. Heck, it doesn’t even hurt to be rejected by “Hanz,” the 28- year-old German body builder that you met on the Grapevine that happens to be hotter than (insert your favorite celebrity), but in all actuality is your sociopathic coworker that is constantly taking pictures of your cleavage with his camera phone.
Virtual dating has been described as fast and easy. Hmmm . . . fast and easy. It appears that these are two words that most people don’t want to use to describe their current love interest. I am going to propose a challenge to you: Take your flirting to the next level. Leave your laptop and cellphone at home, and engage in some good old-fashioned fun like your parents did. I dare you to try to meet somebody in the real world. Do not fear, my dating-phobic friend. Have you seen the movie Hitch? That’s where I come in.
Meeting people doesn’t have to be a scary thing. We are all the same here: poor, under-fed, love-starved students. There are, what, 20-some thousand people on campus? Chances are in your favour that one of them is meant for you.
Tip number 1: be confident.
If you don’t feel it, fake it. Strut your stuff around campus like you are Owen Wilson or Carmen Electra (please be careful though if you are wearing two-inch heels; it’s slippery). Never forget that you are smart, sexy, funny, and beautiful. Repeat that sentence to yourself often enough and your self-esteem will be higher then Snoop Dogg on tour. Do things that make you feel like the world was made for you. Go to the gym, eat half as much candy, shower daily, the possibilities are endless. The cliché is true: you gotta love yourself before you love somebody else.
Tip number 2: be yourself.
There is no doubt about it — you rock! Not every girl wants Milton, the gym rat that only eats protein powder so he can bench-press 18 thousand pounds for three sets of one billion repetitions. Not all guys like girls that are skinnier then their 80-year-old grandmother with false teeth. The point is, don’t try to achieve a goal that is unnatural for you. This extends to everything, not just physical appearances. You are unique, and it is your little quirks that make you stand out from everybody else. Embrace your so-called “flaws” and use them to your advantage and attract the partner you were meant to have.
Tip number 3: set boundaries.
Do not, and I repeat, do not, do anything that you do not feel comfortable doing. Real-life dating is just as scary as online dating; predators are everywhere. (Please don’t let this scare you. Just compare it to your chemistry lab; you wear your eye goggles for a reason.) Meet your date in a well-populated venue and take friends with you. You have to find the perfect balance between healthy interaction and healthy distance, at least until you know that your date is the “real deal.”
Tip number 4: have fun.
Put on your dancing shoes and have a night out on the town. Explore, try new things, and laugh a lot. Don’t obsess with thoughts of “does he like me?” or “do I look OK?” Worrying about such things will take away from what dating is supposed to be: fun. No matter how the date turns out, you will learn something that will help you grow as an individual.
I hope you are willing to try to date like your parents did; you were born, so they must have done something right. Be confident, be yourself, and have fun. Dating is only scary if you let it be. Show dating who’s boss and ask your cute lab partner for “study tips.” Who knows where the chemistry will go?
