The dating world right now is predictable, no matter how optimistic you are about love. Finding the right person takes time and care, but sometimes being cheesy and surface-level is all you can do online. With cuffing season behind us, it’s important to navigate dating apps with a level head on your shoulder and keep an eye out for certain types of users. Here are some of the types of men I’ve been running into on dating apps.
Performative Male
We know him. He drinks matcha and claims he’s into feminist literature. He listens to Clairo with his wired earbuds. These are classic signs that he wants you to believe he’s on your side. Current college students have been mocking this archetype, with campuses across the U.S. hosting competitions for the most performative male. This is a hilarious gesture and mocks men for trying to fit a mold they assume women want from them.
On the popular podcast, “Call Her Daddy,” guest Anna Kendrick and host Alex Cooper said men “have access to the same internet, and the same culture as we do,” so it makes sense for them to fake a kinder and dreamier persona just to get in our pants.
In Kendrick and Cooper’s conversation, they discuss how men can use a tactic of faking niceness and turn it into manipulation. This is how relationships become tense and emotionally abusive, a feat Kendrick unfortunately knows personally. Dating a nice guy can seem great at first, but Kendrick also said men are “taking notes” about the right things to say to women.
While the nice guy may do and say all the right things, it’s important to look deeper under the surface of conversations and see if he is doing it to make himself look good or because he genuinely wants to.
Gym Bro
This is deeply rooted in our American culture right now. We are obsessed with protein. Generation Z is obsessed with fitness. More students are going to Ping Recreation Center, Ohio University’s recreation center, than ever before.
The gym bro is probably going to respond to the prompt “we’ll fall in love if…” with a simple “you go to the gym.” He loves gym dates, ladies, so make him man up and go to Pilates.
As more Gen Z men fall into a habit of going to the gym, they make this their personality. In some cases, this can end in them critiquing their girlfriends for not attending the gym. Body issues are inherently built around Gen Z’s gym culture. Also, many men might believe a woman wants a macho, buff man, making more men show off their fitness on dating apps.
Marriage Man
This has to be the most interesting one I have seen so far: Gen Z men are twice as likely as baby boomers to expect their wives to obey them. A survey conducted by King’s Business School found 31% of Gen Z men agree that a wife should obey her husband.
Having a more traditional view on relationships than boomers isn’t progressive. With the tradwife movement, “manosphere” and other conservative spaces online, it’s no wonder the marriage man thinks this.
These men can come off as pushy and, honestly, sometimes reveal that they are repressed and toxic. They expect more from dating and center conservative values.
Dating till marriage is a normal pipeline to follow, but don’t be inclined to rush just because marriage is popular. These men might just overshare quickly and be overly romantic in text so they can propose next week.
He’s not like other girls
He’s scared of women and is convinced you’re not going to text him off of Hinge. This isn’t true because he is the one who never asks for your number, but instead asks for your Snapchat. It ends there. No one wants to be in college and date a guy through Snapchat. That man is not his Bitmoji.
This man ends up coming off with strong filtration, leading to an icy end after he gets a general response.
Insecurities are normal in relationships, but should be handled with care rather than as a quirk. Having deep conversations is encouraged, but maybe not great as a first impression, as it can come off as a “trauma dump.” Avoid this man; he has some processing to do.
Man of God
Currently, Catholic churches have been seeing an increase in Gen Z men coming to the Church to look for faith and girlfriends. Faith is very common among this generation, as the church has become a desired third space for connection to move offline. Actually, 54% of Gen Z men read their Bible weekly compared to only 46% of Gen Z women.
More young men involved in scripture reading can inherently shift their views on marriage. With the Bible using motifs like “missing rib,” “one flesh” and other sweet ways to describe a supportive, nurturing and Christ-centered relationship.
If this is something you value in a relationship, it has appeared frequently in my dating endeavors. Any conversations about faith and outlooks are definitely between you and your partner, but if that’s your prerogative, it appears there are more fish in the sea now than ever.
More than your profile
Cuffing Season is over, which means more men and women flood the dating apps. I noticed some cliches and stereotypes. I think these are interesting to note because we are allowed to defy the performances that are expected of us, and so to eliminate inherent competition.
Oh well, I’m sure you’re more than your dating profile. We’ll fall in love if you read my columns.
Cassidy McClurg is a freshman student studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Cassidy about their column? Email cm303824@ohio.edu
