The Ugly Woman’s Guide to Internet Dating

What I Learned From 70 First Dates

by Rosemary Thornton

Yes, there really were 70 first dates.

In Rose’s own words:  Life is very different for the woman who thinks of herself as physically unattractive and there are few places in the adult world where these differences manifest themselves in such sharp and bold relief as the world of internet dating. The amount of rejection I experienced in the virtual world of the internet was massive. It eroded my self-worth and diminished my self-confidence to a point where I had to withdraw periodically and recharge. My dogged persistence was fueled by a simple motive: I longed to be mired in romantic love. I wanted to know how it felt to be cherished and respected and adored and admired by a man. I wanted to have a man that I could cherish and respect and adore and admire.

When you’re woman of a certain age and a woman of a certain size and a woman with a certain look, much of the advice offered in the mainstream books on internet dating is  bad advice, and it’s advice that could well leave you with a heart that s been broken in too many pieces to count. If your heart does survive the experience intact, chances are your self-esteem won t be so lucky. Dating via a medium that judges you by nothing more than your profile picture is hard for everyone and it is emotional torture for women who feel that they’re less than beautiful. 

The so-called experts also claim that profiles with photos generate eight to 20 times more response than photo-less profiles.  My profile generated more responses and better responses without a photo.

Now that’s depressing.

You need to know that my story had a good ending, because many parts were dark, depressing and heartbreaking. 

And my  good ending  was what I learned about myself, and what I learned about real love, true beauty and thumbnail pictures.

Come sit with me for a time, read my story, and let me tell you what I’ve learned.