We live in the age of judging a book (human) by its cover (dating profile).
It has been well over a decade since Burger uttered those fateful words to Miranda; He’s just not that into you. And while this sage advice lives on through the ages, you may have noticed that a lot has changed in the world of dating and relationships since then (other than the fact that I was 14 when that happened, obvs).
The self-help genre’s heyday sparked in the mid-’90s when men were from Mars and women were from Venus. It was a simpler time when singles were happy to be put into a planetary binary and online dating was still taboo. Today’s singles know that it’s cool to be from Neptune or Mercury (Pluto is another story¦) and are well versed in the worlds of Tinder, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, Match.com, eHarmony, Zoosk, Happn, Grindr, Bumble¦ I could go on. You can’t throw a smartphone these days without hitting a couple who met using the help of that magic we call Internet.
Great dates (and great dating advice — we got you, boo) are readily available online. For an in-depth look at the relationship situation as a whole (but actually from a heterosexual-lady-perspective, because that is who I am — get at me with book recommendations for your relationship style!), these books about dating are everything you need.
No matter your dating style, there is always something new to learn and I am a firm believer that you should know yourself in order to let others know you.
Now go work your Tinder game and get it, girl.
First thing’s first: Learn about where you came from
Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality looks at modern relationships and the evolution of monogamy, starting where it all began: with our prehistoric ancestors. Taking a look at the ways humans have approached intimate relationships throughout our history can bring to light some of the ways in which Disney has warped our sense of what relationships should be.
