First impressions are crucial in any relationship, but not everyone aces them — so just how, according to women at BW, can they go wrong?   

Many of us know and love the famous 2003 romantic comedy, “How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days” starring Kate Hudson as spunky journalist Andie Anderson and Matthew McConaughey as charming advertising agent Ben Barry. As an assignment for her magazine column, Anderson is given ten days to do her worst and drive Barry away.   

The Exponent took a less problematic, more modern approach to this idea.   

Navigating love and dating as a woman in your early twenties can be difficult. Failed relationships are bound to happen as a part of that exploration. I spoke to women across campus about their personal experiences with failed relationships and just how, in their opinion, things can go wrong within the first week of dating.   

For Alaina Hayes, a sophomore English major, an overload of affection within the first week is “a major ick … it’s too much.”   

An eager leap to romantic gestures soon after meeting is cause for alarm to a lot of people, including senior creative writing major Meagan Chandler.   

Chandler shared a story usually only heard of in rom-com films. While on holiday with her family in Rome, she met a man working at a gelato shop, who immediately began to serenade her. When they later got together for a drink, Chandler said, “He was very touchy-feely, very over the top.” But who gets the chance to have a whirlwind Italian romance? They’re on short supply, so far as the general population is concerned.   

“I thought, ‘Alright, I’m in Italy, it’s for the story,’” Chandler explained with laughter. Yet, as the night progressed, this Italian ice cream man became even more unabashed about his feelings. What could have been a meet-cute for the history books quickly turned into a night full of red flags for Chandler. “He [told me] ‘I think I love you,’ and I was super freaked out,” she said. “He was really intense.”   

Chandler also said that wanting to move too quickly prevents her from taking a relationship further.   

“When someone isn’t trying to get to know me or respect me as a person at all, but still wants to [hook up] … that’s a good way to lose me,” Chandler said.   

The age-old question of who should pay for the first date popped up in more than one conversation.  

 “If you ask me out [and don’t offer to pay], that’s a deal breaker,” said sophomore English major Grace Krieger. Hayes agreed with this. “I ended up paying for a first date I went on …” Here she trailed off, but showed clear indication of dismay. Hayes described the date as “a whole ick in general.”   

From a disagreement about payment to overbearing gelato men, the women I spoke to had plenty to say about their experiences with dates and relationships gone wrong.   

If you have a story you’d like to share with The Love Buzz column, contact [email protected].