Since when did Introvert become a dirty word? I recently signed up for an online dating site just to see what it was all about. I haven't even been on a week and I get a message saying:
"Howdee yo what is your degree in? And are you a socially ackward girl? Haha introvert i just had to ask."
That is the whole of the message. I find it a little disturbing that the only thing that caught the writers attention was my education and the possibility that I was unsociable. And I judged the writer right back, assuming that s/he had no education because those who do usually have to take some sort of psychology course and would realize that being introverted is not a curse.
I am not shy, I open up quite easily about my life and enjoying interesting conversation. I am not socially awkward - I like meeting new people, I do not suffer from stage fright etc etc. What it does mean is that large groups exhaust me and I need time to recharge after. That's all. An extrovert gets energized by large groups and I don't. Extroverts can still be shy and are often more socially awkward because they don't realize how obtrusive they are being or how their excitement is getting interpreted.
Maybe thats why I don't have much success in the online dating world - I always mention too early on that I'm an introvert and scare them all away. The thing with internet dating is that you're putting up the best of yourself, a very skewed version of yourself and you can hide your idiosyncrasies pretty well behind the text. So if the best of myself is this cursed with being socially awkward, unreasonably quiet and extremely private person then I must be a real "piece of work".
I will say this: at least s/he did not mention my eyes, ask for my phone number or use a pickup line. I haven't responded because I haven't worked through yet whether this message means the person is judgmental, or is trying to show me they have a sense of humor.
So what's the best line so far? "If you were to be a sort of cookie, what type would you be?"
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