In a return to our long running series on dating advice with Jack Farthmann, Jack tackles the latest hurdle in the world of contemporary dating.
You know the score. You Tinder a bird and before you know it, a date is on the books. Everything is going great; her profile pic checks out, she has a mutual hot friend in common to bring up in conversation (if the date is a fail, you can do some reconnaissance for a future shift), and by stalking her Facebook page, you can see she has low standards by seeing what her ex-boyfriend looks like.
However, vanity needs to be addressed. It is not good enough just to be on a date these days, the both of you need to show the world that you are on a date. Photographs of a drink on a bar table is too ambiguous, it could mean a lot of things. You could be out with mates or you could be going down that slippery slope that drinking alone brings with it. That is why you both need to get into a photograph together to document that you are not a hermit sitting at home wanking into a crusty old sock.
Every plan of action brings up obstacles that need to be cleared though. Getting the photograph is a precarious situation as to how you go about obtaining it. Asking a stranger is not an option. If they take a poor photograph, there are no do overs, you have to post what you have. A normal selfie is not great either, you will only be able to show of your body and outfit. This leads to one conclusion really, the Selfie Stick.
This is where you have to insist that the woman brings the Selfie Stick. First of all, she will have a bag with her. It will naturally fit into that better for transportation. No self-respecting man can walk the streets with a Selfie Stick in hand. Secondly, it will be her uploading the photograph. Men cannot be seen engaging actively in social media, it gives off an air of peculiarity from them. That is why she must upload and tag you in it. This is non-negotiable.
Now that the rules have been set, it is time to get out there in to the jungle that is the Irish dating scene.