You should be honest when going on dates - but that doesn't mean you need to put all your cards on the table.
If you've ever set up a profile, you'll know that it's usually a good idea to showcase all your best qualities in the hopes of having people who are interested enough to strike up a conversation with you. There are some things you just don't need to confess on your profile, and you'll almost never see people listing their bad habits or their quirks for everyone to see without at least going on an actual date first.
But one woman who keeps one part of her life close to her chest has hit out at the people she talks to on dating after several of them accused her of "lying" for not disclosing something they deemed as vital information during their opening conversation.
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Betty Douglas is physically disabled and uses calipers to support and stabilise her legs. However, she doesn't include this information on her dating profile and doesn't mention it "until it's relevant" because she believes people will dismiss her before they've even had the chance to know her.
In a video on TikTok, she said: "Some people have taken issue with the fact that I don't have my disability in my dating profile. People have said that by waiting to make a connection with someone and figuring out whether I fancy them or whether I think this is going to go anywhere before I tell them about my physical disability and get a bit more vulnerable, I'm lying and that that's not okay.
"I can understand that some people want to be straightforward with their disability to begin with, but that's not me. I live inside of this body, and I am hyper-aware of the preconceptions around the word 'disability'. I know that on dating apps if people see something a little bit different or something that they've got all these assumptions around, it is so easy to swipe past. But if you're in front of someone on a date and you've made that connection, then you're more open-minded.
"It's not about whether you're a good or bad person. You're just not entitled to an explanation of my body before I want to give it. Nor am I entitled to you telling me something vulnerable about yourself before you want to tell me. I'm just going to do it at the pace I want to do it."
Commenters on Betty's video were split, however. Some agreed and said Betty should be able to have autonomy over her body and should be able to tell potential partners about her disability when she's ready. But others insisted they still saw it as lying or "wasting people's time", as it may mean that their interests don't align.
One person said: "The comments on here are terrifying; as a disabled man, I did the same. I left my disability off profiles because people judge. I wasn't lying, just chose to leave that fact til after the first date, I am fully on her side with this."
Another added: "I'm of two minds in this. You are absolutely right; you should not have to disclose personal (vulnerable) information about yourself until you are ready. But just as you are allowed to be able to build a connection with someone, the other person is allowed to not want to be a caretaker (from the get-go), whatever their reasons may be."