[M22] | 6'2" | 150 pounds | Preexisting insecurities + lack of online dating success = posting here.

First off. No you’re not ugly. You honestly look average to me. You’re not a model but the same can be said for most men who do well for themselves dating.

But since you have expressed some concerns here are some notes:

  • Eye squint: I have this too and I think it’s a lot more common than you realize. It really comes out in pictures whereas in real life it’s not as noticeable since we’re always moving. Can be mitigated with practice if you’d like to pick up some male makeup skills. But I honestly think most people have some amount of asymmetry in their eyes. The trick with male makeup is to make it look like you’re wearing none while still subtly modifying your features.
  • Bear in mind some guys who get really into the gym tend to think bigger is always better. You could stand to gain a few pounds. It will help you get your foot in the door with more women. But you don’t need to be a fitness model, and having a good body only helps with initial impressions.
  • Start early if you’re showing signs of male pattern baldness. There are topical compounds you can use to prevent it or regrow some. You can also save for surgeries. But it’s best to prevent it. My boyfriend has had quite a bit of success preventing and regrowing some after watching a whole ton of videos from MorePlatesMoreDates. The only thing I would advise is to avoid his older content on dating (and pickup artists in general) because it’s absolute toxic masculinity junk. That particular YouTube has since kinda reformed himself and admitted pick up is sort of bullshit. He has good stuff on hair regrowth though. To be clear he does also have content on steroids but you don’t need them and actually really shouldn’t start steroids unless you are already very experienced in the gym. Its just that steroid users tend to lose hair quickly and tend to be bothered enough by it to find out how to deal with it.
  • Your height is an asset, many women will find it attractive myself included.
  • I have never ever looked at a man and thought about his ears not even you. If it bothers you enough there’s probably a surgery for it but bear in mind anything that far from the eyes/lips will matter much less in terms of attraction. People spend most time looking at the eyes and lips of faces.
  • The nose issue can be mitigated by a nose job if it bothers you that much. You will probably get more matches but this is not to say it’s necessary to have a successful dating life. My bfs nose is similar to yours and he’s had very few problems in finding women. Another option that is less extreme is to start practicing male makeup and specifically learn how to contour. You probably won’t want to wear it on a date but it could help in a profile picture where you have complete control over the lighting and viewing angle.

Keep in mind the ratio of girls to guys on apps like Tinder are ridiculously low. Don’t base your self-esteem on how many likes or matches you get. Seriously.

I’m not saying this to brag but to illustrate: as an average-at-best looking girl on Tinder I get like 2k likes in a day. My boyfriend isn’t a model in terms of conventional beauty standards either but he does have a six pack and dresses well. He’s lucky if he gets one match per day.

It’s not like I’m a 10 and he’s a 1 – it’s literally just a numbers game. Not as many women like online dating because it is often visual/active and hookup-oriented whereas female attraction tends to be more contextual and responsive. You can find plenty of variations but on average the Tinder UI tends to cater to male sensibilities around dating hence the disparity.

Bears repeating that anything I’ve written here might help you get your foot in the game and open more doors initially. However, if you’re getting past the initial step i.e. are able to snag the occasional date here or there and ideally also have a fair number of platonic friendships with women, then you’re already past the point where these factors play the biggest role. If you’re able to go on a date and things fizzle it’s probably not because you’re ugly its probably something else since you’ve already passed that hurdle.

Confidence, hobbies, conversation skills, etc all play a major role not just physical looks. What also plays a role is having platonic friends who are women and genuinely getting to know them as friends without trying to get into their pants or get dates. Those sorts of friendships can help you relax around women and also help you understand the perspective we have better without all the contrived pretences of dating. In the long run that sort of experience will help you go from initial first date with someone else to a proper relationship.

/r/amiugly Thread