Dating 101: Four Things Never to Utter Around Him
Some subjects of conversation will make a dude's eyes glaze over in boredom, put him on the defensive... or even leave him questioning your sanity.
By Cosmopolitan Photo: iStockphoto.com/© Damir Spanic Updated: May 22, 2009
RATING THIS ARTICLE
Here's
a dating mystery we're
dying to crack: Why is it that even when we guys open up and clue a
girl in to our thoughts and experiences, you ladies insist on pushing
for more and more intimate info? It's hard for us to relate to your
wanting to know everything about us, because even the most love-bitten
man doesn't feel the need to be in on every detail about his girl. In
fact, certain topics are actually major turnoffs and produce the same
skin-crawling effect as hearing fingernails raked across a blackboard.
So unless you want your man to secretly wish you came with a mute
button, save the following taboo topics for your girlfriends, your mom
or your therapist... just not your guy.
More Dating Articles from Cosmopolitan:
Turnoff #1: The Lowdown on Celeb Dirt"Whenever
my girlfriend gets control of the remote, she switches to a gossip
channel and goes on about how lucky Cameron Diaz is or how Drew
Barrymore lost 10 pounds. Geez, get a freaking life!" -- Paul,
27
"My ex-girlfriend was obsessed with
Brad Pitt. She knew more about his life than Angelina Jolie does.
Whenever he had a movie coming out, I never heard the end of it. I felt
like I was dating a stalker, not to mention the fact that it didn't do
wonders for my ego. Brad isn't exactly the worst-looking guy in the
world." -- Donald, 26
"I met this
really gorgeous British woman at a bookstore, so I invited her to have
coffee with me. When I got back to the table with our drinks, she was
sitting there with a pile of foreign gossip rags in front of her.
Before I knew what hit me, she was talking my ear off about Prince
Charles and a bunch of other royals I didn't know and couldn't care
less about. I was absolutely bored out of my mind. Well, so much for
the theory that smart women hang out in bookstores." -- Andrew,
25
Turnoff #2: Your Ex Files"I
took my old girlfriend to a cute bed-and-breakfast for the weekend, and
all she could talk about was how her previous boyfriend had taken her
to Paris for a long weekend. Whatever happened to thank you? No wonder
we both dumped her." -- Ben, 28
"My
girlfriend and I were having brunch one Sunday when we ran into her
ex-boyfriend. After he left, she started telling me all about some
cross-country trip they took when they were in college. I know there's
nothing going on between them, but that doesn't mean I want to hear
about the good old days. She should save the reminiscing for her
girlfriends." -- Lewis, 27
"My girl
asked me to help her put together some do-it-yourself furniture that
she'd bought, and I was a total disaster. That's when she went on and
on about how good her ex was with tools. The story I enjoyed most was
about how he built her a special magazine rack... which, of course, she
still has. Now every time I see that thing, I want to break it. I
admitted I am no good at this kind of fix-it stuff, so I don't know why
she felt the need to rub it in by telling me her ex was the second
coming of Bob Vila." -- Ray, 30
Turnoff #3: Your Bad Body Image and Food Issues"First
it was the grapefruit diet. Then it was Jenny Craig. Now it's the
Fatkins thing. My girlfriend tries a new diet about once a month, and
she explains how she's convinced that this is the one that's going to
help her lose weight. I always remind her that the reason I asked her
out in the first place is because I think she's beautiful. I wouldn't
be attracted to her if she looked like a string bean." -- Derek,
29
"I can never do anything spontaneous
with my girl because she won't leave the house unless she looks
perfect. It takes longer for her to get ready for dinner than it does
for us to actually go out and eat it. First she asks if I like her
outfit. Next she asks how her makeup looks. Then she drops the
fun-crusher on me: 'Do I look fat?' I get so aggravated. Don't ask for
my opinion if you don't want it. By the time she's ready to leave, the
evening is already ruined because I'm in such a pissed-off mood." --
Andy, 33
Turnoff #4: Other People's Relationships"My
old girlfriend would gush about how romantic it was that her roommate's
boyfriend got down on one knee when he proposed to her. Then she'd tell
me every freakin' detail about the wedding plans, from the dress to the
cake to the invitations. I didn't really know these people, and I hate
hearing about mushy stuff anyway, especially if it has nothing to do
with me. I just tuned it all out." -- Steve, 36
"My
girlfriend never stops talking about how great her sister's life is.
I'm so tired of hearing about her perfect brother-in-law and her two
adorable nephews. It's so obvious that she's using the conversation as
a steppingstone to talk about when we're going to get married." -- Rob,
36
"My girlfriend loves telling me
about how her best friend treats her boyfriend like a pile of garbage,
flirting with other guys when he isn't around and spending hours on her
laptop to email her exes. I don't want to know the nitty-gritty,
because then I feel awkward when I'm around him. Besides, it makes me
wonder if my girl is bad-mouthing me behind my back." -- Will,
25
Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.
Limited
Time Offer - Save up to 71% on Cosmopolitan - Subscribe
Now
More on Dating from Cosmopolitan:- His Biggest Turnoffs
- The Link Between Scent and Seduction
- Are Chick Flicks Wrecking Your Relationship?
- Dating 101: Will Your Guy Cheat on You?
- Dating 101: Are Bad Dating Habits Keeping You Single?
- Six Dating Behaviors That Scare Single Men Away
- Dating Secret Exposed: Why Nice Guys Finish Last
- Debunking the Dating Scarcity Myth
- What's Behind the Trend of Women Dating Younger Men?

Create Your

