THE NARRATIVE ARC

I Created a Catfish Account on a Dating Site and Here’s What I Learned

My journey on Plenty of Fish was revealing.

Denise H via Pexels Images

I loved online dating from the get-go. It was a bit more work than anticipated, I went on fun dates.

There were the usual ups and downs of dating, but as a whole, it was a net positive. I also landed two consecutive relationships, the second of which led to me meeting my current spouse.

This is why I’m so perplexed by the constant griping about online dating. The most universal complaint is that people have a laundry list of expectations while offering very little in return.

Specifically, I’ve always been curious about women’s complaints. So on a slow weekend night, I created a female profile on Plenty of Fish (creating a fake identity is called catfishing). I never interacted with anyone or took it any further than this. My intentions were purely for research.

I used a few pictures of an attractive woman who looked down-to-earth. I added a quick bio, and for fun, tried to write as many cliche phrases as I could that were reminiscent of the profiles I’d seen:

“I love to travel and try new things.”

“Fluent in sarcasm.”