Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • TIFF's Best-Dressed
    • Low Ponytails
    • 'Ungrateful Immigrant Daughter'
    • Altuzarra
    • Caitlin Clark x Nike
    1. Sex love

    8 Signs You've Hit Dating Rock Bottom

    Aside from shedding light on the horror that is the male mind, this blog includes sad personal anecdotes, to help you feel better about yourself.

    By Rich Santos
    Published 2 June 2010 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Aside from shedding light on the horror that is the male mind, this blog includes sad personal anecdotes, to help you feel better about yourself. My method of exposing my pathetic dating life allows you to say: "At least I'm not that bad."

    With most of my friends out of town this past weekend, I pledged to get work done and put finishing touches on my new apartment. Usually, these quiet weekends are amazing, but this time around I had time to consider the following signs that I've hit rock bottom in my dating life (can you relate?):


    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    My Voice Mail Inventory

    Most guys have many girls calling so they choose which girl to take out on a given night. Because I so rarely check my voice mail, the messages pile up. In bulk, they remind me of my lack of prospects:

    Message 1: "Hi Rich, it's Mom."

    Message 2: "Rich? It's your mother."

    Message 3: "Hey, Rich, it's Mom trying to catch up with you."

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Message 4: "Rich, it's Jack. Did you see that play in the O's game? Awesome."

    Message 5: Incomprehensible drunk karaoke message from sister

    Message 6: "Hey it's me [my sister]. Sorry about the drunk singing last night, but you should have come, it was fun."

    Message 7: "This is an automated call from MasterCard. Your payment is overdue."

    END of new messages.

    One of the Girls

    I recently met up with a friend from out of town, Jenn, at a karaoke bar. It ended up being me, Jenn, her three sisters, and their mom. My favorite karaoke song, unfortunately, is Dolly Parton's "9 to 5," which was a campy hit with the girls when I sang it. When I told Jenn I can't attend her upcoming wedding, she said it we'd call it even as long as I "attended the bachelorette party." Becoming one of the girls is not in my best interest if I ever want a date.

    Paling in Comparison


    Comparing myself to others isn't healthy, but it's the most unhealthy when I suck in comparison to bad people. While reading about Charles Manson, I was struck by the amount of women he slept with. It seems that every evil person I read about pretty much gets laid more than I do. So, if psycho killers, and maladjusted freaks are getting laid regularly, where does that leave me?

    The Last Living Thing in My Bed Was My Cat


    ...and he's getting more and more aggressive, lying flat on his back, stretching out to the point where I'm nearly off the edge of the bed when I wake up in the morning.

    Rustiness


    The other day I attempted to e-mail a girl to tell her to meet up with some friends and me. I just couldn't get the wording right. Frankly, it's been a long time since I've suggested to a girl: "Hey, let's meet up for a drink." I had to have a friend edit the e-mail.

    Sad Stats


    When I admit how long it's been since I've had a girlfriend, people gasp. Their reaction has nothing to do with me being "boyfriend material. People just didn't know it was possible for anyone to go that long without a girlfriend. I've also become a born-again virgin because it's been a while since I've done that too. I might do better if I was Charles Manson.

    Stress Over Required Date Events

    I have until October to figure out my "plus one" for my sister's wedding. I need a date, considering my entire family will be there. I probably shouldn't bring a friend because we'll have to deal with questions from my family. I wish I knew women I "dated casually" for these types of events.

    Mind Games


    My mind plays tricks on you when I'm slumping. Lately, I've thought: "Wow, I haven't dated for a while. I used to be good at this." When the slump continues: "Wow, maybe I never was good at this." It kills confidence, a cycle that makes it tough to beat the slump.

    I'm too picky, jaded, lazy, and "over" the scene. It's just tough to spend time with girls I'm not that into. But, perhaps I should go on some meaningless dates to get back in the swing of things. I can do casual as long as I don't worry what it means, or think about the next step before I even take the first step.

    Do you agree with my signs of rock bottom? What parts of your dating life signify you're in a slump or hitting rock bottom? Do you agree that you have to go on meaningless dates to get out of rock bottom, or do you have a different way out?

    Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/richravens

    Explore More
    dating relationships
    Rich Santos
    Latest in Sex love
    Two women covered in blood (Gillian Anderson as Billy and Hannah Einbinder as Kris) stand closely together in a convenience store aisle, with their intertwined hands on a cart. A still from Jane Schoenbrun's 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma' (2026).
    Movies Everyone Has Thoughts About Gen Z and Sex. 'Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma' Gets It Right
    Princess Diana wears a shimmering blue mini dress and carries a matching blue silk clutch bag
    Royals How Diana Navigated Being a "Newly Divorced Princess"
     
     
    Queen Camilla wears off-white and pale green on her wedding day, including a white hat, to marry King Charles in 2005
    Royals Why Queen Camilla "Felt a Little Broken" on Her Wedding Day
    Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are married at Madison Square Garden and a sign announces their nuptials outside
    Celebrity What Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Said in Their Wedding Vows
     
     
    Latest in Features
    collage of nyfw beauty trends on a green background
    Beauty Per NYFW, We're Ditching Hair Parts and Going All Out With Eyeliner
    Coach
    Fall fashion Gen Z Darlings PinkPantheress and Elle Fanning Trade FaceTime for Festival Crowds in Coach's Newest Campaign
     
     
    mariska hargitay collage from the emmys
    Beauty Mariska Hargitay and I Just Debriefed on the Emmys Over FaceTime
    two women with blow buns and low ponytails on a liquid golden background
    Hair The Reign of the Slick Back Bun Is Over
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.