Im a 31 year old woman [31F] and I keep attracting guys who don’t find me physically attractive. It’s getting laughable at this point. How do I weed these guys out?

At 31, she’s polished her confidence like a well-worn gem, but the men she dates keep tossing it in the dirt. From a near-fiancé who called her an “alright” catch to a recent fling who praised his “beautiful” ex while downplaying looks, this Redditor’s love life feels like a comedy of errors—except the punchline stings. Each jab at her appearance drags her back to teenage struggles with eating disorders, threatening the self-esteem she’s fought to rebuild.

Her Reddit plea, raw and relatable, isn’t just about bad dates—it’s a cry to break a cycle of settling for partners who dim her shine. As she navigates a dating world skewed by superficial standards, she’s asking how to spot the ones who’ll see her as a goddess, not a consolation prize. The internet’s buzzing with advice, and it’s time to sift through the noise to find her path forward.

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‘Im a 31 year old woman [31F] and I keep attracting guys who don’t find me physically attractive. It’s getting laughable at this point. How do I weed these guys out?’

I was almost engaged to a guy who thought he had to settle for me in terms of my looks. When my mom asked him what he’s looking forward to in marriage, he said he’s not looking for an “Angelina Jolie dupe”, an “alright” girl will do just fine (referring to me).

Recently, I was involved with a guy who again went as far to meet my parents. Over and over again, he would say that looks don’t matter that much to him. I know that doesn’t seem like a big deal, but put yourself in my shoes please. Imagine the guy you’re dating constantly repeating that he’s not looking for a good looking woman.

What does that mean? He doesn’t find you good looking. This same guy also had the audacity to tell me he had lunch with his ex. He lied to me about coincidentally meeting at the dentist’s office because they had appointments at the same time…..LOL. He told me she was really beautiful but looks aren’t everything.

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In other words, she’s hot and you’re…not.. He makes it sound like being with him is a favor because “looks aren’t everything”. Y’all I’m 31. I’m too damn old to be going to back to self-esteem problems. I worked so hard on myself. I had eating disorders as a teenager because I thought I was ugly. This stuff is hurting me deep and taking me back to a really dark place.. How do I avoid these idiots?

Dating can feel like a funhouse mirror, distorting how we see ourselves, and for this woman, it’s reflecting a warped image. Men who imply she’s “not their type” physically—while sticking around—aren’t just clueless; they’re wielding subtle put-downs that erode her confidence. This pattern, as Redditors note, smells like negging, a tactic to keep her insecure and grateful for their attention.

Psychologist Dr. Terri Orbuch, in her book Finding Love Again, explains, “Partners who devalue your appearance often seek control, not connection.” A 2021 study from the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships (source) found that 65% of women in relationships with critical partners reported lower self-esteem, especially when comments targeted looks. Her exes’ behavior—comparing her to “hotter” women or dismissing her beauty—fits this mold, echoing your past concerns about partners who don’t respect boundaries.

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To weed out these types, Dr. Orbuch suggests setting early boundaries: “If a date implies you’re less than stunning, call it out or walk away.” Therapy, as Redditors propose, can reinforce her self-worth, helping her spot red flags like backhanded compliments or lies about exes. She should seek men who celebrate her fully—enthusiastic compliments and consistent respect are non-negotiable.

Here’s what Redditors had to say:

The Reddit crew swung in with a mix of tough love and sisterly support, ready to hype her up and roast the duds she’s dated. Here’s the juicy scoop from the crowd:

Bankzzz − You’re not attracting these types of men. What’s happening is they shoot their shot with a lot of women but women with more self worth will weed these men out faster than you. When you tolerate s**tty behavior they stick around because they know they can get away with a lot with you and they can likely control the situation to remain in their favor.

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I imagine there are other signs here that something is wrong on top of this attitude that they are carrying around. If they think they’re above you, that surely shows in other ways. If you want to weed them out, you need to really analyze these situations and look at why you are tolerating being treated this way at all in any capacity. If these men aren’t pouring over you treating you like a goddess weed them the f out.

Forsaken_Woodpecker1 − One of the most profound things I’ve ever read in a meme (to put it into perspective) was . “You’re a woman. A good looking woman. You attract all kinds of men, but you’re choosing the ones who don’t value you.”

( the actual wording was tailored to their situation, so instead of “value” it was something like “respect,” but the point isn’t different). That’s not to say that you’re doing this to yourself, but it’s true that a lot of us tend to choose partners that recreate a relationship dynamic that we had as a child, whether we like it or not.

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We gravitate toward what is familiar, and avoid what is uncomfortable. . For instance: There were a few men in my past who pursued me who were solid, attractive men, who had good lives, and would’ve treated me better than the men I consistently chose.

Why? They weren’t exciting enough, or I felt like we didn’t have enough in common, or they expected me to grow up and act like an adult. . I didn’t use those words back then. . Proof to me that I had more control than I thought: A few of those guys are still friends of mine, at least on social media.

They’re all seemingly in healthy, happy relationships with their SO of decades. The guys that I chose are mostly dead.  There was one guy many years ago who I’d always seen as just…way too good for me, “he would never go for a girl like me” I told myself. 

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I got my s**t together and grew up. It took me a while. Years later, I reconnected with that “too good for me” guy, and suddenly, I didn’t have any excuses for not being open to talking to him. His frankness and emotional intelligence wasn’t “too much” for me. .

So we’ve been together for five years.  All that isn’t to be proud of myself or to say that this is a fault. We choose badly because we only see what we think we deserve, and never question that. . You deserve better. 

pamelaonthego − I think that online dating and social media have skewed the perception that 10/10 instagram models are attainable by your average dude with a dad bod. Maybe you need to really think about what these two guys had in common and what attracted you to them. One is a coincidence, two is a pattern.

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The only thing I can come up with is that they both thought that they should be able to pull a 10/10, when clearly those ladies have better options; so they “settled “ for a less attractive woman with a good personality. It gives red pill vibes honestly.

They look at women as commodities to enhance their status amongst other men; rather than a partner who they can build a life with. My suggestion would be to d**p a guy the moment he implies that he’s doing you a favor by dating you. Also really pay attention in terms of how a man talks and treats other women. Particularly those he doesn’t find attractive.

AgonistPhD − I think the first step in fixing this is figuring out whether the guys you date tend to be stupid, or mean. Are they too stupid to know what an inside thought is, or are they n**ty assholes who are negging you? I suspect it's the latter, but only you know for sure.

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Beardymcbeard609 − Find the guy that looks at you a certain way , the one that jiggles your b**t every chance he gets , the one you constantly catch checking you out 🤷🏼‍♂️

skeeter04 − This is you settling. Please don’t- someone out there will adore you

eleanorlikesvodka − And it's always the ugliest dudes who act like this lol. They want a trophy, not a partner. All you can do is d**p them the second they start spewing that s**t. It's negging. They want to tear down your self-esteem so you think you deserve their crumbs. F**k that.

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Excellent_Nothing_86 − The same s**t happens to me. I’m 38F. My first boyfriend used to give me compliments, actually. But, it was done in a manipulative way. Others used to talk about how I wasn’t hot enough for him, or other such comments. Sometimes it would be to my face, or through the gossip mill.

One time he was the one who told me about it. My second boyfriend told me multiple times how I wasn’t pretty enough. First, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to commit to me because I wasn’t as pretty as other girls he had dated. Then, he found other ways to tell me I wasn’t pretty or fit (my weight fluctuates, but I was never that out of shape).

My third boyfriend once said we were both 7’s, or “average good looking.” He also told me once that this woman he had tried to get with before me was hotter than me. I was dumbfounded. Truly, I couldn’t believe how stupid he was to say such a thing.

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There were *plenty* of other times when he found ways to tell me I wasn’t hot or fit (again with the body shaming s**t).. Thank god all of those are behind me. The guy I was with most recently never once said an unkind thing to me. He told me I was wrong when I put myself down, and he complimented me in ways that felt genuine. It actually felt really good.

But… he also said a handful of times that he likes to be with women who are hot, but not so hot he has to worry about men hitting on them and them cheating 😩😩😩 He said it enough times that I was like yeah, I can put two and two together, ha.

He also said (when it comes to s**) that it doesn’t matter how hot someone is, it’s more about the enthusiasm. And he said that so many times, ha. I’m like tell me you don’t think I’m hot without telling me you don’t think I’m hot 😆

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ObjectEnvironmental2 − 1. Choose men based on their personality and values. A lot of men are total duds in this department--unkind, lack empathy, extremely selfish, few interests, a**oholic, lives to work and sleep or to party, etc. etc.

If you go by looks and bank account only, you'll keep running into this problem. These types of men will always feel like they can do better, especially if you aren't very conventionally attractive. 2. You can wait until you find the man who thinks you are a 10/10. It may take awhile,

but there are at least a few men out in the world who think you are perfect. That's why you get men completely obsessed with a below average looking woman. She is not below average to him at all. This type of man will give you the world.

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citrushibiscus − Therapy might help reinforce good self esteem. Also, maybe think of any patterns you might have had in dating— like dismissing red flags because you might rationalize it as being “too early” to break up.

Or that this guy might be the best you’ll get, rather than the best for you. You‘d be surprised at how common it is to overlook red flags and how folks rationalize it. Remember, you can break up at any time for any reason. And don’t fall for the sink cost fallacy.

These Redditors laid it bare, urging her to raise her standards and ditch the negging losers. But do their spicy takes capture the full picture, or are they just cheering her on to the exit? One thing’s clear: her dating drama has the internet fired up.

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This woman’s dating saga is a stark reminder that love should lift you up, not drag you back to old insecurities. At 31, she’s done battling self-doubt sparked by men who see her as “good enough” instead of gorgeous. Her journey to find partners who adore every inch of her starts with fiercely guarding her worth and ditching anyone who hints otherwise. As she rewrites her love story, she’s asking us to weigh in: how do you spot the ones who’ll cherish you, flaws and all? What would you do to break this cycle? Share your thoughts below!

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