No matter how much you related to a match’s profile or how many messages you’ve exchanged (although, it should only be a handful if we have it our way…), meeting an online match in person is, essentially, a second first impression.
Face-to-face interaction is a different ballgame, and it’s good to have a few tactics to utilize in case someone puts their foot in their mouth, sweats through their shirt, or any other mildly-embarrassing occurrence.For starters, create a prep routine. Include elements that keep you relaxed and level headed. This will help prevent you from being hypercritical of either your match or yourself if something goes a little wrong.
You also want to incorporate some practices that get you hyped! Create a playlist that makes you feel like a badass. Dress up, style your hair, or do your makeup snazzier than usual to remind you that this isn’t just any other day — you have a date, damn it!
Now that you’re primped and prepared, here are a few ways to steer through some inevitable awkwardness.
TURN A BLIND EYE
One option you have is to ignore whatever slightly silly or embarrassing thing just happened. This is much better for some scenarios than others, so choose wisely. For instance, if your date was trying to be discreet about checking their teeth for food, and you just happened to catch it, there’s no harm in letting them believe they got away with it. However, please note that if you make hard eye contact with them after they do _________ awkward thing, ignoring it goes out the window. This leads us to your alternative methods.
LAUGH IT OFF
There are two ways you can go about acknowledging an elephant in the room while keeping your date at ease: Make a joke, or empathize with them out of it. If your match has made it obvious that they have no trouble laughing at themselves, some playfulness could actually win you points in their book!
Say they dribble a little of their drink while taking a sip — tell them how flattering it is to have someone drooling over you. Maybe they stumble on an uneven sidewalk while you two are strolling down the street, giving you the perfect setup for a sweeping-them-off-their-feet joke. (And before you tell me how corny this is, when’s the last time someone you were attracted to became less hot because they showed a sense of humor? Yeah. Thought so.)
With this one, just make sure you’re laughing with and not at them. Teasing is one thing, but it sometimes toes a thin line with ridicule, and we want to avoid that.
LOL SAME
A different way to go about acknowledgment is to point out the circumstances, but empathize with your date. If it’s apparent that they’re beating themselves up over a little word vomit, let them know that it happens to you all the time. Spilled a little food or drink on their clothes? Tell them how long you used to carry a Tide pen at all times for just that reason, or even better, break it out if you have it with you. Now you’re a hero!
Whichever option you go with, make sure your decision is based not only on your comfort level and sense of humor, but also the vibes your date is giving off.
Let’s face it:
Something goofy is going to happen — not maybe, not probably — and it’s more than okay. If the chemistry between you two is there and the conversation is flowing easily, who cares if one of you replies “You too!” after the bartender tells you to enjoy your drinks? If you end up together, moments like these will make your how-we-met story that much better.
