Up your dating game with these real-world tips

Dating in a big city doesn’t have to be daunting.

Take it from “Betches” co-founder Jordana Abraham, the best friend every 20-something needs while navigating the current dating scene. Abraham recently sat down with In The Know to deliver some firm — but loving — advice on finding “the one.” (Or, you know, a one. They can’t all be winners.)

“Sometimes it can be really intimidating to date in a big city,” Abraham said. “There’s so many options. There’s so many people. It can often feel like, why should I settle down, because the next person is just a swipe away? And there’s so many people. How do I know this person is the best person?”

Abraham, who also hosts the relationships-centric podcast, “U Up?,” recently helped launch Ship, a dating app that allows users to involve their own friends in the matchmaking process.

“One thing I always suggest you avoid is misrepresenting yourself on any dating app, or even in person,” she said. “I feel like, because there are so many people, sometimes you feel like you can get away with, like, fudging things. But really, all that does is slow down your process of finding someone who’s a match for who you actually authentically are.”

In other words, she said, editing photos and taking too many “creative liberties” — like saying you’re a creative executive when, really, you’re the entry-level assistant to one — only impedes you from achieving your real goal: Finding someone who likes you for who you are.

Abraham also pushed back on the oft-repeated idea that men are uninterested in putting in real effort to kick-start a relationship.

“I think a lot of guys are actually a lot more romantic than we take them for. And I think that they’re wary of girls who just want to [find] a boyfriend,” she said. “[Some people] are just looking for, like, a tall guy who has a good job. And I think guys are very wary of that, especially in a big city where it can feel like people have a lot to do, and this is just something they need to get off their checklist.”

For more with Abraham, watch the video above.

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