15 Pictures That Describe How Women Actually Prep For A Date

There's a lot of preparation that goes into getting ready for a date. There's all the grooming that's involved to make us feel and smell good, there's the styling required in clothes, hair, makeup, and accessories, and then there's the anxiety and excitement we have to deal with in order to gain the ability to actually go through with it, because it can be a really scary thing to do!

We think we've eliminated some of the worrying by being able to see our dates before we meet up with them, through social media and whatever app or website we may have met them on (which is quickly becoming one of the most common ways of obtaining a date), but it doesn't always turn out that way. There are countless instances of dates got wrong where the person we “met” online didn't measure up to who arrived in person - sometimes literally. But, this article isn't about our dates - it's about us! Getting ready for a date is time-consuming! There are so many steps involved! Through GIFs and memes, check out how us women actually prep for a date.

15 Showering

The first thing we do when we prep for a date is shower. Maybe you already showered in the morning, but your date is in the evening so you are definitely showering again. Instead of being one of those rushed showers or the shower you have to do because you've just worked out so you're all gross and sweaty, the pre-date shower is a luxury. You get to take your time, use a loofah, squeeze out some of your expensive shower gel, make yourself smell good, and just chill out. Bonus points if you've got music happening, but you can also just make your own. There's something about all that steam and hot water that just makes us so relaxed, so we feel like this date is totally easy, because we're charming, intelligent, attractive women! There's no stress in the shower, only a few random shower thoughts. This part of date prep is really good.

14 Shaving Everything

Okay, this is the one speed bump in the otherwise blissful shower experience. Shaving. You hate it, I hate it, we all hate it. It's time-consuming and uncomfortable, and if you've let things go a little too long towards being au naturel, then you're stuck looking like this girl here and literally shaving everything.

Even if we're not wearing anything that shows the bare skin that we would shave, like our legs, it's the possibility of a date going well that makes us lather ourselves up. But, man, is it time-consuming! If you weren't doing this in the shower, you'd be sweating from the effort it took! However, getting that smooth feeling when we rub our legs together is kind of worth it, since it makes us feel all sexy and sleek like a supermodel. But remember, ladies, use shaving cream or gel, go with the grain, and moisturize! Nothing says unsexy like razor burn.

13 Social Media Stalking

After the shower and the shave, it's time for a quick bit of social media stalking. (This is especially true if you met online.) You want to know what this guy's hobbies are like, if he has a habit of posting immature memes or links to fake news websites, if he secretly has a girlfriend or fling (or wife or kids) that he hasn't told you about. In this era, social media stalking is pretty much necessary, and even if you don't go the whole nine yards - looking into his Twitter, Insta, Facebook, Tumblr, LinkedIn - you'd be lying if you said you didn't sneak at least a little peek into his digital footprint. The one bad thing with all the social media stalking you're doing, though? The threat that you might spill a few details that you're not supposed to have any way of knowing! Maybe it's not such a good idea to bring up his 2008 trip to Cancun when he looked super cute with longer hair, hm?

12 Makeup

What is it about the first date jitters that freaks us out about putting on makeup? For some reason, we'll try and call upon our inner makeup artist to test out our skills, when now is totally not the time, or we'll try to recreate something we saw on Pinterest that looked hot on her but a hot mess on us.

You know the saying “less is more”? It couldn't be more true than when you're doing first date makeup. This isn't for the guys - this is for you. Dudes don't even know that the “no makeup makeup” look is actually a bunch of products in neutral colours applied with a light hand. Like, they think the Kardashians wear minimal makeup. Seriously. Of course, the makeup is coming after the shower but before getting dressed because you'll be sweating over your eyelash curler and cursing your inability to perfectly line your lips. But that's okay, girl, you've still got time!

11 Pep Talk

Hey, sometimes we all need a little reminder that we are strong, confident, sexy ladies who can get what we want when we want it, right? If we're feeling a little uncertain of ourselves (especially after that annoying makeup ordeal), we may need to let ourselves know that before we put ourselves out there in date-land.

Confidence is hella attractive, and if we don't have that when we walk into the room, it can show. We don't want to be a letdown from our Tinder or Bumble profile - we want to be an upgrade. Knowing how to ~werk it~ when our date first sees us is a good thing, and sometimes we just have to say it out loud before we can practice what we preach. We can be our own worst critic or our biggest cheerleader and when we feel a little worried about which we're going to be on date night, a pep talk (in front of the mirror or not) can boost us right up.

10 Choosing What to Wear

I have nothing to wear! Oh, wait, I have this thing, why do I never wear it? Oh, yeah, because it makes me have gigantic shoulders but was way too expensive so I can't throw it out.

One of the worst parts of prepping for a date is figuring out what to wear. Ideally, we would've thought about this when we were showering, shaving, or doing our makeup, but no, because we like to live on the edge and leave things to the absolute last minute. So we try on an outfit that we usually feel good in, something that flatters our shape and makes us feel like a more conservative Beyoncé. We walk around in it for a bit, try to catch our reflection from every angle. We're feeling good, we're feeling hot! We would date us in this outfit. We sit down and chill out, happy to have picked an outfit in record time.

9 Changing It

What were we thinking? We look hideous! We look like a truck that got run over by a train. This is so not flattering. To have compared ourselves to Beyoncé is a travesty. We don't even know why we chose this outfit from all the other clothes in our closet. We go through our racks and hangers and finally pull out something that seems like it could fit any occasion, something simple yet sexy, alluring but not too provocative. It's comfortable so that we won't be tugging at ourselves all night, but not so comfortable that we forget where we are. This is the perfect first date outfit. We have no idea what was going through our minds before, but this one is the one. We look dynamite in this - our date will be so happy he swiped right, as well he should be. Okay, breathe. Outfit is done, we're almost there.

8 Asking for Advice - Then Ignoring It

If we have a roommate or BFF around to watch us/help us get ready, then we're getting advice in real-time. If not, then we're texting our best girlfriends to see what they think (they also vetoed the first outfit once we sent them a shot of us in the second). They really mean well, and sometimes their advice is great, like not getting too hammered on the first date if drinks are involved, because we're known for making bad drunk decisions, but other times, their advice is just, well, off.

They only have the best intentions for us, but sometimes their advice can leave us feeling more worried and paranoid than at ease. We're the ones going on this date, not them! So, while we may only do a few things that they suggest (like texting them at the first possible moment when our date goes to the bathroom and letting them know we got home safe), we still appreciate them putting in their two cents.

7 Practicing Flirting

Hey, maybe it's been a while! If we're feeling a little rusty in the art of seduction, we may practice a few flirting techniques we keep hearing about from our favourite magazines. Maybe we're normally terrible at pulling off an easy wink, but we want to be able to have the cheesy move in our back pocket. Or maybe we don't know how to properly “smize”, so we try it out a few times in our bathroom mirror.

Flirting is hard, okay? Plus, if those magazine articles are to be believed, some guys just can't tell when we're into them, so we want to be able to display our interest assuming we hit things off on this date. Being coy and cute may not come naturally to us, so while we probably feel a bit silly doing our best Joey Tribbiani impression, it can be totally worth it for the peace of mind and jolt of confidence it gives us.

6 Planning Conversation

Nothing is worse on a first date than that lull. You know the lull. That break in conversation where you've both exhausted all the normal pleasantries and have resorted to picking at your napkin or aggressively sipping your drink in lieu of words. If you're the one stuck asking all the questions and the guy is giving you monosyllabic responses in return, at least you have the comfort of knowing you tried - he's the one who sucked!

Having a few conversation starters can calm some first date jitters and save you from saying things you shouldn't. Even if you're not the type to write them down (and who does that anymore?), you don't need cue cards to keep conversation rolling. Making mental notes can do just as well! It doesn't sound very sexy or spontaneous, but when all you have to really go on is a few photos and a brief Tinder bio, having a few non-confrontational conversation ideas can't hurt!

5 Overthinking

What if this guy doesn't like you? What if you don't like him? What if he looks nothing like his picture and you don't look like how he imagined yours? What if the conversation is boring, despite all your best efforts? What if he has values that are in direct opposition of yours? What if he's creepy or comes on too strong? How do you handle paying? Does he pay? Do you pay? Do you split it? What is he looking for? What are you looking for? Is this really the best outfit? Should you look sexier? Less sexy? What if he's not as tall as he says? What if he tells jokes and then explains them to you? What is he mansplains? Do you go back to his place? Does he come back to your place? What if he's a serial killer? Who will find your body?

You get the idea.

4 Second-Guessing

All that overthinking can easily lead to second-guessing your decision about whether or not to even go out on this date. Sometimes it feels like it's just not worth the stress, hassle, and headache! Then, you wonder if it makes you a bad person to cancel so last minute, even though you're pretty sure he hasn't put as much work into things as you have.

Maybe this second-guessing even follows you right outside of where you and your date are supposed to meet. The awkwardness of meeting someone in person you met over an app, or through friends, or at a bar when your vision was blurred becomes overwhelming. You feel pre-embarrassed for your future self and having to navigate those waters. Wondering if you should go through with a date is a major part of prepping for a date, and ultimately, you usually suck it up and just do it.

3 Planning an Escape

But not without planning an escape first. Just in case things don't go as well as you're hoping, or he is getting a little more handsy than you feel comfortable with, or he's just a total d-bag and you need to leave now, another part of planning for a date is planning an escape.

Of course, you'll take the first opportunity you can to text or call your BFF to let them know that things have gone south. If they're really kicka$$ friends, they'll be on standby to pick you up if you got dropped off or took a cab or Uber. Or, they might call you back later with an “emergency” to get you off the hook. Having a few methods of escape from a date can be reassuring, because who wants to suffer through hours of torture from a date that has no hope? That's why we have coffee dates, people! It's the preliminary meeting that lasts a short amount of time, so there's no pressure to make things last longer.

2 Running Late

With all that showering, shaving, outfit changing, makeup, planning, and overthinking, is it any surprise that you're running late? It's kind of your thing. Men often complain that a woman's five minutes is their 30 minutes, but when you have as much prep to do as we do, can you blame us? Hopefully, even if you are running late, it's not a significant amount, or if it is, that you send a quick text to let you date know that you're not standing him up.

How does running late still count as date prep? Because it's a part of literally every date! All of these apply to first dates, and most of them apply to dates regardless of what stage of the relationship you're in. Maybe you've managed to make being late an adorable quirk or yours, or at the very least it's something your partner puts up with. Either way, it's a totally realistic part of date prep.

1 Going For It

All right, girl, go and get it! Getting your worries to shut the hell up so you can go and do this thing is the final part of prepping for a date. You've psyched yourself up and knocked yourself down and now you're finally ready to make this damn thing happen! After all the stress you've already put yourself through imaging what MIGHT be, now's the time to go out there and learn what WILL be.

Even if you don't find “The One” on this date (and who needs that kind of pressure anyway?), you might still have a good time. Even if you don't have that great a time, maybe you'll have a great story that you can share with your friends over a couple bottles of wine. You know how awesome you are, and now you get to see if he can match your level of wonderful! Just go for it, girl.