Friday

How To Make Online Dating As Fun As Shopping


The online dating world is littered with creeps, which makes finding that rare diamond-in-the-Internet-rough seem like more effort than it’s worth.

As a woman, navigating such treacherous e-waters can be especially tough, because (as we’ve said before!) for every nice guy hoping to find love online, there are at least 10 more looking for a quick lay or attempting to make ladies as uncomfortable as possible via email. It’s like the online dating Hunger Games, and the odds are NOT ever in our favor.

Until now.

A new website, CheckHimOut.com, just launched on May 7 with the goal of giving women more power in the online dating game. The site encourages ladies to make the first move; that is, rather than waiting for guys to contact them (as, let’s face it, most of us do), women must initiate the conversation.

Men, meanwhile, fill out their profiles and wait to be added to a woman’s “dating shopping bag” before any contact can be made.

The concept is sort of like shopping (which may be crossing some gender stereotype lines that we’re not super-comfortable with, but for now we’ll just go with it). The founders of CheckHimOut.com argue that women have been objectified “since the beginning of time” and that their website ultimately makes online dating safer and more secure for the fairer sex; heck, the “shopping” analogy likely even makes it more fun, too, right?

Men aren’t completely without control, however. If they are truly interested in a woman, they can bid to be placed higher in their search rankings or send a “crush” or virtual gift to get a gal’s attention. They must, of course, pay for these acts of affection, but a bit of extra cash (a.k.a. romance) is nothing when it means gaining the attention of the woman of your dreams, right boys? If the extra effort works, a woman will “bag” a man and contact can commence.