guy in suitLast week, I had one of those amazing first dates that continued to give you butterflies long after the first drink had been consumed. One in which we had so much in common, that it felt like we had known each other for months.

And then the topic of body piercings/tattoos came up. I pulled up my hair to show him my most recent ink on the back of my neck. (I have two tats, mind you, both of which are tiny and discreet.) Suddenly he abruptly said, "Yeah, I can't date a girl who has a tattoo." And that was that.

Seriously? Are you joking?

Nope. Apparently tattoos, no matter how few, hidden, or small they may be, was a complete deal-breaker for him. Which, living in NYC, good luck to that guy trying to find his one and only.

We parted ways without further plans of ever seeing each other again. It boggled my mind that he was willing to give up on an otherwise amazing date just because of one little form of self-expression. Though, pot calling the kettle black here, I do admit to breaking the deal if tighty whities make an appearance.

Everyone has their own picky quirks, so I polled my girlfriends to see what the most ridiculous deal-breakers were that left them scorned (and which ones they broke men's hearts because of):

  • My friend was dumped because she doesn't drink. She's okay with other people drinking, so it's not like she told the guy she disapproved of his lifestyle. She just simply said she didn't drink.
  • I had a guy break up with me for eating commercial foods and not shopping at a co-op.
  • I used to refuse to date any guy who would dare wear tennis shoes (gym shoes, not cool sneakers) with jeans. Just couldn't get past it!
  • I stopped dating a guy because he wasn't a fan of Kanye OR Lil Wayne. I don't see how a fan of hip-hop wouldn't at least like one of those.
  • I know somebody who won't date anyone who hasn't read Harry Potter (I may start applying this rule myself).
  • I know a guy who doesn't date people who don't drink alcohol, recovering alcoholics aside. He said that he doesn't trust people who don't drink. (Hey, maybe that's the guy from the one above!)
  • I was making fun of Ashton Kutcher on a first date and it turned out he was the guy's frat bro -- he cut the date short because he was so mad at me.
  • Call me shallow. Met a guy about my age when I was out one time several years ago. He was wearing a baseball cap. Met him out a couple of times more and agreed to go on a date with him. When he picked me up, the hat was not on. He was verrrry balding. I couldn't handle it. I tried to deal with it but couldn't. I'm awful.
  • I had a friend that went to pick up her date and he was in the bedroom when she got there. When he came out, he was wearing a shiny silver shirt! She went on the date to be nice but ultimately it was a deal-breaker. "Shiny shirt" became a deal-breaker for both of us!
  • I have a few: bad shoes, small hands, or a lunch order that includes a Diet Coke and a salad. Maybe this is why I'm single?

So tell me ... what's the most ridiculous deal-breaker you've ever heard of?

 

Image via tenaciousme/Flickr