We all know when you start talking to someone new, you get all those stupid butterflies that tend to cloud your judgement a little bit. Sometimes, we ignore some glaring red flags just because we don’t want to admit that this potential partner is in fact a flaming garbage can, unfortunately. However, there are SOME red flags you shouldn’t ignore:
- He Disrespects Women
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A lot of guys are really great – they hold the door open for you at restaurants, they tell you all the right things, and they’re genuinely respectful towards the woman they’re trying to get involved with as well as women they aren’t – however, some are just downright misogynistic. Any guy that calls you or any woman a derogatory slur, degrades them, or objectifies them is not worth your time.
- He Tries to Manipulate You
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Some guys aren’t good at flirting with women – they may say the wrong things sometimes, or forget to respond to your text, or just mess up sometimes, and that’s okay. We’re all only human, after all! But a guy that continually does subtle things to manipulate you, like negging (where they put you down ever-so-subtly in an attempt to get you to try and earn their approval) or trying to make you chase them (whether it’s by telling you about other girls they’re talking to in order to make you feel like you have competition, or by constantly emphasizing what a CaTcH they are and how you’ll never find a better guy – hint, you will) is definitely someone to give the boot to.
- He Disrespects Your Beliefs
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Listen ladies – you are entitled to believe what you want, and nobody should try to convince you that you are lesser, or unintelligent, or unworthy because of what you believe in. They especially should not try to force you into changing your beliefs and if they do – drop ‘em, sis!
- He Calls All His Exes ‘Crazy’
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This is kind of a no-brainer, but I feel like it should be reviewed anyway. We almost all have that one legitimately crazy ex – you know the one. But if he’s referring to every single person he’s ever dated as crazy or irrational and fails to see that the one constant in every relationship is him – maybe it’s time to review the previous play and bench that boy.
- He Disrespects Your Friends and Tries to Isolate You
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I once dated a boy that ALWAYS started arguments with my friends and tried to get me to stop being friends with them. Not only is that super uncool, since in any healthy relationship there should be healthy platonic relationships that you’re able to maintain (and a sign of a good partner can be when they get along with the people you’re close with), that’s also a serious warning sign. Trying to isolate you from your friends can be a sign of an abuser, since someone with no network to fall back on is someone that can be more easily abused.
Take it from me ladies: It’s far better to be alone than be with someone that doesn’t make you feel like you’re LITERALLY walking on sunshine. You deserve the best!