Turn-offs on the first date

These days, with first dates feeling more like gruelling job interviews for roles you're not even quite sure you're applying for in the first place, I've decided to help out singletons who are finding it a bit of struggle on Planet Dating.

After intense research, polls, surveys, Googling and canvassing the experts, we've come up with your top turn-offs on a first date that you're to avoid at all costs. Some are surprising, some are anti-feminist, most are sexist and few are just downright rude. But in their defence, all these points have caused one or both partners to forego the second date ... and if you're really that into them, you might as well pull up your dating socks ...

Don't be late

"When my blind date sent me a text saying he was running an hour late because he was still at the hairdresser, it wasn't a good sign of things to come," quips Miranda, a serial blind-dater. "Lateness is a signal to me that they just don't give enough of a toss to be on the date in the first place, so why should I bother too?"
Plus when it's obvious that he's spent more time at their hairdressers and manicurist than you to get ready for the date then it's quite obvious you're never going to be able to share a bathroom, let alone a life together. Who would get to use the blow dryer in the mornings?

He's rude to the waiters

"When my date complained to the waiter that his water wasn't icy enough (!?), I knew it was time to give him the flick"What will he say when I burn his toast??"
Being rude to the waiter is a sign of things to come. As they say, you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat the waiter. When your date is obnoxious, yells or loses their temper at a complete stranger because their risotto isn't cooked perfectly to their liking, then don't be surprised when this sort of droll turns up in your bedroom. Not only is it a sign they have no respect for people other than themselves, but c'mon; the waiter's not responsible for the food. Where's the common decency!

He talks about his ex

First date conversations should always be devoid of ex-speak. But when he begins to harp on about how his ex dumped him and he's since been a broken man without having been laid in six months, it's time to bolt for the door. You don't want to be the guy's therapist.

Don't go Dutch!

"Going Dutch is an archaic feminist relic that young women can't believe ever happened," writes Are Men Necessary?. Dowd notes that many modern women reckon feminists in the 70s went a little overboard and the whole issue about women paying for dinner was all a big load of codswallop.
That shouldn't stop women from being the "cursory purse grabber": those who make as if they're reaching into their purse to pay, but never intend to. While dating expert Dan Bacon says that "if it's obvious you are never going to see each other again, you should go halves," sex writer Catherine Townsend disagrees. By her reckoning if a man insists on splitting the bill on the first date, he doesn't care enough about you to invest even the measly amount of the bill on you. (She also hypothesises that men who are "mean with their money are usually emotionally stingy too!" Enough said.)
As for female first-date faux pas? Dan Bacon weighs in ...
Too needy
"Being emotionally open doesn't mean being needy to fall in love and get a guy into a serious relationship right from the first date."
Anti-feminine
"The Women's Movement was completely necessary and we have progressed tremendously as a society because of it. However, a huge turn-off for modern men is the women who reject traditional womanly roles in a relationship, but then still expect to be treated like 'traditional women'. For example: Expecting a man to take her out for dinner, but then scoffing at the idea of cooking for him. This kind of 'double-standard' from women is a massive turn off and any self-respecting man won't stand for it."

Talking on her mobile phone for more than 2 minutes

"If a woman spends more than 2 minutes on a non-urgent phone call while on a first date, it can give a guy the impression that she is likely to be disrespectful and potentially untrustworthy in a relationship."

Too ditzy

"It's very cute and sexy when a girl shows her vulnerable side. However, when a girl puts on an 'overly ditzy' persona, she shouldn't expect to be treated with too much respect from men."

The interviewer

"There's nothing worse than a woman with a seemingly rehearsed list of questions to ask on the date. Women who can just go with the spontaneous flow of things are the best dates."

Unhealthy

"Driven by our hard-wired, instinctive need to find the best breeding partner, the cold hard truth is that men are more attracted to the health and physical attractiveness of a woman than anything else."
"And, although men will rarely (if ever) tell a woman the following, these are some of the biggest turn offs with a woman's presentation ..."
* Dry, brittle hair
* Yellowing teeth
* Bad breath
* Too many blemishes
* Perspiration
* Bad health
* Unhealthy weight