17 Elite Daily Readers Share Their Low-Key Dating App Icks

The fish photo. The car selfie. The blank bio. Since the dawn of online dating, singles have been adding to an ongoing list of digital red flags. But aside from the universal “don’ts,” many also note the less-obvious icks hiding in bios, photos, opening lines, and more recently, in responses to dating app prompts. Elite Daily asked readers about the seemingly harmless dating app behaviors that are instant turn-offs, and it’s safe to say that there’s one particular bio line they’re serious about swiping left on.

Dead-End Openers

For Kelsey, 29, the classic first message of “Good morning” or “Hey gorgeous” is a clear nope. “There is usually nothing else with it which does not lead to any conversation,” she says. “Bare-minimum effort.”

The Gym-Obsessed Bios

While mirror selfies at the gym might be a more obvious repeller, readers agree there are plenty of low-key workout-related icks lurking all over the apps. Lily, 28, for example, has no time for “extreme abs.” Serafina, 32, is over guys answering “The gym” to a “Where you can find me after work” prompt. “[He] probably has zero personality and can't interact with any women, but wants to act all tough, high and mighty,” she says. “And if you call him out, he'll probably get his feelings hurt and then start degrading women.”

Sabrina*, 26, isn’t a fan of when potential matches “talk about how much hot yoga they go to,” she says. Sabrina’s seen it mentioned a handful of times as an answer to Hinge prompts, but when she’s followed up about it, she finds that matches don’t actually do yoga at all. “It seems like ‘hot yoga’ has been used as clickbait to find matches.”

These Details In Photos

Shirtless selfies and heavily filtered photos aren’t the only pictures signaling a giant red flag. Sometimes, it comes down to the subtleties in the pics users choose for their profiles. Cat, 29, is not down with a potential match wearing the same piece of clothing in more than one picture. For Beth, 26, it’s when people put emojis over their friends' faces.

Kerri, 33, doesn’t like when guys stick their tongue out in a photo. “It's like how you'd pose for a photo as a kid, so makes me associate the guy with being juvenile or immature — just something about it feels uncomfortable to see,” she says. “A genuine smile in a photo is much more engaging and friendly.”

Men posing with children who aren’t theirs? Not cute, says Janet, 34. “They most likely did not get approval from the parent but also... children aren't accessories to make you look more desirable,” she says. “It's weird and a super red flag in my opinion.” In fact, she says it’s like when men post photos with other women on their profile. “You don't look ‘better’ when you're clearly using others as a prop.”

Try-Hard Bios

Karin, 33, cringes when guys write, “Don’t worry I’m in therapy” in their bios. “Obvi I want a guy to be working on himself,” she says, “but it comes across as ‘This is what the ladies want’ and super performative.”

For Tricia, 24, it’s when someone includes their height and says ‘because apparently that matters.’” “If it's someone on the shorter side, it bothers me because it gives off the impression that they are insecure and defensive about their height, and likely about other things,” she says. “On the flip side, if they are taller than 6-foot and says ‘apparently that matters,’ it comes off snarky and like they're trying to brag about their height.” Either way, she says, it all feels shallow. “I think we all fall into stereotypes that we may not agree with or like, but you've got to own who you are — confidence is key for me!”

Subtly Rude Bios

Ariana, 28, can’t stand when guys include a line about wanting the ideal “flirt to roast ratio” in their bio. “I feel like it’s an excuse for them to be jerks.” To her, it seems like a way to say “swipe right if you can take a joke.” Ivonne, 29, gets irritated by a similar one: the bios that include, “Have a sense of humor.” And for good reason. “It’s not funny and has never made a woman laugh,” she says. “I feel like the men that put ‘have a sense of humor’ on their profiles have already been in several situations where their middle school jokes didn't land, and probably also accused their dates of not having a sense of humor.”

Additionally, Ivonne steers clear of those who include the line, “Someone who can take sarcasm.” She adds, “A lot of men have this on their dating profiles and use it as an excuse to talk down to you or be mean. When you confront them or stand up for yourself, they hide behind the term ‘sarcasm’ to get away with it.”

Lazy Answers To Prompts

Anyone who answers prompts with “Just ask me” is a red flag for Julia, 29. “It irks me because it's lazy and really lacks creativity,” she says. “It's a big turn-off when someone hasn't made an effort to answer prompts — perhaps they just expected me to be interested based on their looks.” For Emily, 26, one-word answers to every prompt won’t cut it. Lauren, 28, gets annoyed with these common responses that are giving ... nothing: "I'm too competitive about: Everything" or "The biggest risk I've ever taken: Downloading this app."

Caroline, 28, says it’s creepy when guys answer “you” in their Hinge prompt (e.g., “I love spending time with: You”). “This bothers me because it’s cringey,” she tells Elite Daily. “It’s a blanket statement to all women who come across a guy’s profile that he would treat them right while he actually knows nothing about them.”

AT, 24, says the one-liner bio, “Here for a good time, not a long time,” is a “very cringey way of saying you’re on the app for a hookup.” Plus, it doesn’t really make sense. “Both a good time and a long time don’t have to be mutually exclusive, you know,” she says. “It also feels like these type of guys put up a wall before we’ve even swiped right on them.”

This Infamous Line

As for the ultimate under-the-radar offender? The award goes to this dreaded bio line, which readers agree is the ultimate eye roll: “Looking for: Someone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously.”

“Taking yourself seriously isn’t a bad thing!” Grace, 25, says. “Just means you have respect for your time and energy. [It] feels like a way to avoid accountability.” Candice, 30, also isn’t a fan of the line. “The response makes someone reading it think, ‘Oh, so you want someone who is chill or essentially low-maintenance?’” she says. “It doesn’t take a lot of effort to come up with that answer either.”

*Name has been changed to protect privacy.