Playing by the Rules
You date. You have a hard time telling if you’re being yourself or playing games. And you have an even harder time figuring out what your love interest is doing. Some experts offer these guidelines:
Fair Game
* Stuffing a wallet with extra cash for unexpected expenses.
* Applying makeup and hair products for killer looks.
* Eating light throughout the day to minimize that nauseating first-date feeling.
* Sharing a well-balanced meal.
* Tidying home for date’s arrival.
* Elaborating on professional and personal achievements.
Foul Play
* Stuffing a wallet with extra cash to look rich. (What happens to your rent when your date expects you to spend it all?)
* Dramatically altering your appearance and pretending that you always look so effortlessly glamorous. (Picture the morning after. Or an unexpected encounter at the grocery store?)
* Starving for the day in favor of a flatter stomach. (Imagine how hungry you’ll get if the relationship gets serious.)
* Taking two bites from a salad and then whining about being full. (You’ll either be perceived as a liar or a weirdo.)
* Stashing dirty underwear in the bathroom cabinet, covering comic books with a fat Renoir book. (You’ll be found out. Many peek in bathrooms and feign fascination with intellectual displays.)
* Inflating job titles and athletic feats. (Singles say they’re wary of actors, screenwriters and sports champs who almost made it.)