Some men tend to think they can impress women by doing some pretty ridiculous things. We’re here to tell you what not to do. We can try to tell you all the things you should do, but it’s just easier to get right to the things you should avoid, especially when you’re just starting to date a woman. We’d also like to stress that you should try to be yourself and stop trying to think about making the perfect impression. You’re not impressing anyone when you try too hard. Relax, be a gentleman, and try to enjoy yourself. It’s okay to be nervous, and it’s okay to be flawed. Here’s a list of 20 things that really won’t impress anyone much. Especially the woman sitting right in front of you on that first date.

20. They Buy Women Expensive Things Early On

Sure it’s nice to get fancy presents and be showered with gifts. Who doesn’t love that? But when you’ve just met a guy, it’s kind of weird. It will sometimes have the opposite effect. Showing off the fact that you have money to burn isn’t going to make up for any other personality flaws, so don’t rely on it. Giving gifts might be a nice thing to do for an anniversary, but if you’ve just met don’t rely on money to impress a woman. If you’re giving an expensive gift to a woman, or anyone else for that matter, it should mean something. It shouldn’t just be so that you can impress someone.

19. They Make Sure They’re Driving A Fancy Car

Okay, yes. Some women like fancy cars. But again, a really nice car won’t make up for a shitty personality. If women are going to flock to you because you drive an expensive vehicle, chances are they’re not really interested in you. Stop relying on the superficial things to impress women. If you find you’re having trouble holding a woman’s attention, maybe it’s time to work on your personality. We suggest saving some money and working on your conversation skills instead. A fancy car might impress shallow people, but if you really want to find a meaningful connection with someone, don’t rely on your ride.

18. They Drive That Car Fast And/Or Recklessly

Some men think that it’s not enough to simply drive a fancy car, it’s also impressive to drive that expensive hunk of metal really fast and recklessly. It seems that some dudes think that driving drunk is cool too. Newsflash, it’s not. You’re impressing no one by driving like an idiot. Women aren’t going to want to get in a car with you ever again if you’re driving like a total moron. You’re not impressing your date, you’re just scaring her. Scaring your date is definitely not the way to get her attention and it’s definitely not the best way to get a second date.

17. They Act Macho

Some guys think that acting like an alpha male is the best way to impress women. It’s not. There’s nothing wrong with a guy who is masculine. But women don’t need you to go out of your way to show how big and tough you are. Also, it’s okay to be less masculine than other guys. There’s no harm in that. The worst is when a guy seems to clearly be overcompensating. It’s not impressive when you’re putting down other guys and making homophobic comments. Actually, it’s the best way to get rid of the woman you’re with. You don’t need to act like an alpha male to make an impression.

16. They Drink A Lot

There’s nothing inherently wrong with drinking. Chatting over drinks is a nice way to get to know someone. The drink a person chooses says a lot about them. The problem arises when guys overdo it. Binge-drinking and pounding back shot after shot is not going to impress your date. It’s immature and unattractive. When you brag about that time you drank so much you blacked out? That’s a signal for a woman to GTFO. We’re not saying you shouldn’t drink at all. Of course not! If you want to enjoy a drink, that’s fine. But women don’t want to watch you binge drink. No thanks, we’ll find someone else to imbibe with.

15. They Brag

Speaking of bragging. That’s another incredibly unattractive thing a person can do. It’s okay to talk about yourself on a date. We want to know more about you! Let’s make sure it’s a two-sided conversation, though. Most importantly, let’s avoid excessive boasting. We want to know what you’re good at, of course. But we don’t need you to list your accolades and accomplishments. This isn’t a job interview, it’s a date. Tell us about yourself, but keep the CV at home. You don’t need to tell us how much money you make or how important your job is. And again, we don’t need the details on how expensive and fancy your car is.

14. They Lie

Worse than bragging? Lying. If you’re on a date with a woman, you shouldn’t need to lie to her unless there’s something wrong with you. Unless you’re a serial killer, you should be telling the truth when you’re asked a question about yourself. We understand that some people tend to embellish a little bit, but what if you hit it off? She’s going to find out eventually. You can omit information if you prefer to bring it up later. For instance, if you’re not really into travelling. You don’t need to bring that up for no reason. But if you’re asked a pointed question, just answer it honestly.

13. They Cook When They’re Not Good In The Kitchen

A man who can cook is sexy. It’s nice to be invited on a date and get a meal cooked for you. If you’re in a long-term relationship coming home to a beautiful home cooked meal is a treat. But it’s neither sexy or nice to eat food prepared by someone who doesn’t know their way around the kitchen. It’s really sweet of you to try, but don’t pretend to be something you’re not. If you’re not used to cooking, don’t offer to cook a romantic dinner for two. Focus on another one of your talents to impress your date.

12. They Join A Band

In high school, it might have been the best way to impress the ladies. As an adult, it’s not going to score you bonus points for the most part. Being in a band is neat for you, but a lot of women just don’t care. They’ve worked through the phase in their lives where they were hot for men with guitars. Of course, some women still do love musicians. But don’t just join a band to impress a woman. You know what’s hot? A guy who’s passionate about what he does. If you tell us what you’re passionate about and it’s the real deal? Now, that’s impressive!

11. They Get A Woman’s Name Tattooed

This is not impressive. At all. We don’t want you to tattoo our names on your body. It’s a grand gesture that means little to us. It’s not going to look good. Do those kinds of tattoos ever look good? Hardly. If you love us, commit to us and treat us well. We don’t need you to get our names permanently fixed on your body. We’re not going to do it for you, so don’t feel the need to do it for us. And if we’re dating and we see another woman’s name tattooed on you? It better be your beloved childhood pet’s name or your late-mother’s because otherwise that’s totally weird.

10. They Namedrop Like Nobody’s Business

Oh, you met that one famous guy once? Oh, that celebrity is a friend of a friend and you chatted him up at a cocktail party? Oh, you’re second cousins twice removed from some politician? Good for you. We don’t care. It’s not impressive unless you’re actual BFFs with the person you’re namedropping. And even then, don’t use your friendship with a celebrity to impress a woman. We look forward to meeting your friends, but we want to get to know you, not them. So, forget the namedropping for now. When we meet your friends, we don’t even care who they are. If we’re into you it’s not because of who you know.

9. They Send D*ck Pics

Women do not want your dick pics. We do not enjoy receiving random images of your penis throughout the day. Guess what? To most women, all photos of junk look the goddamn same. Your dick looks the same as all the other dicks. It doesn’t turn us on and you’re wasting our time. We didn’t need to have our day interrupted by that. Send us thoughtful messages instead. Because we are not sitting around all day thinking about how badly we want to see your privates. Imagine that! So stop sending those repulsive pics. We don’t need them. Your dick looks like every other dick.

8. They Pretend To Like Things They Don’t

This is in the same vein as lying. We already told you that it’s not cool to lie. It’s also not very strategic to pretend to like things that you don’t. If you’re on a date with a woman and she talks about how much she loves going to the ballet. Don’t freaking lie and say you do too if that’s not true. What happens if you two hit it off? You’ve basically falsely advertised yourself. It’s not going to benefit you in the long run. Honesty is the best policy. Just be open about things. If you really hate the band that your date mentioned, just politely admit that you’re not a huge fan. Going on a hateful rant isn’t exactly attractive either. Find a balance.

7. They Get Into Fights

Some women do find this sexy. But we’re pretty sure it’s not the majority. Getting into fights goes hand in hand with trying to be an alpha male and act macho. Stop it. It’s unnecessary. Generally, we bet your date doesn’t want to see you get hurt. If you’re getting into a fight while with a lady, chances are that you’re not really paying attention to her. Stop focusing on other dudes and spend some time listening to the woman you’re with. We bet most women would feel mighty uncomfortable if their date found themselves tussling with someone else. Unless they’re defending you from a gang of thieves, it’s just not okay.

6. They Make Big Scenes At Restaurants

No matter who does this, it’s unattractive and a total turn-off. If you’re on a date at a restaurant, it’s not at all impressive to anyone to make a big fuss. Yelling at the waiter? Not cool. Sending your food back? Unless there’s a literal hairball in it, just don’t. Not giving an adequate tip? Did the waiter pee in your soup? No? Stop being an ass. You’re not accomplishing anything by treating others like crap. Except maybe showing your date that you enjoy belittling others. If you start complaining about the service and doing it in a way that’s so loud others can hear you, we can bet you’re making your date really uncomfortable.

5. They Close Themselves Off Emotionally

The idea that women like a macho, mysterious, and brooding guy is just so off base. Being closed off emotionally isn’t attractive. We’re not impressed by the fact that you seal yourself away. We want to know how you feel. You don’t have to start sobbing uncontrollably, but it’s nice to be able to talk to someone openly. It’s hard to connect with someone when they don’t offer up a bit of themselves to you. Don’t be afraid, share your thoughts and feelings. You’ll be amazed at how great it feels to just let it out. There’s nothing wrong with a man who’s sensitive.

4. They Talk About The Women They’ve Slept With

This seems obvious, doesn’t it? Yet some men seem to think that this is somehow impressive. Some men love to recount the tales of their conquests and brag about how many women they’ve been with. Ummm…your date probably doesn’t want to hear about any of that. We can bet that no one really wants to hear about that. You’re not better than other people just because you’re a player. Women don’t find it impressive that you’ve slept with a lot of other women. It’s not going to turn us on. It means you’re probably unreliable and shallow. No thanks. We’ll take the cheque, please.

3. They Talk About What A Nice Guy They Are

Hey, so. You’re a really nice guy? Tell us again why you’re such a great guy. We’re already convinced. Guess what? If you’re actually a nice guy, you don’t need to say it every five seconds. You know how you can convince a woman that you’re a real nice dude? Just show her. Telling her means nothing. You know who also claims to be nice? Shitty men. You don’t need to advertise your nice guy status. Just be a nice guy. That works wonders. Saying something out loud doesn’t mean it’s true. Want to prove to a woman that you’re a nice guy? Show it.

2. They Tell Women To Smile

This is definitely not impressive. We’re not impressed by your brazenness or your ability to simply come up to us and tell us that we need to smile. We do not enjoy this at all. Men who think that this is an appropriate start to a conversation are completely deluded. The fact that you’ve observed that we’re not smiling? Unimpressive. Smiling is not something women do to please men. We don’t need your input. We’re perfectly happy without your interjections. So just let women have whatever facial expression they want to have. Don’t get all up in our personal space to tell us this. It’s not a great pick-up line.

1. They Are Persistent and Relentless

Being persistent is not impressive. The fact that you can’t take no for an answer is not going to win our hearts over. It’s going to win you a restraining order. It seems romantic in movies and television shows, but in real life, it’s creepy. We don’t want you to keep trying to woo us after we’ve declined your offer for a date. We don’t want you to keep asking us. Trying to “break us down”? It’s not sexy, it’s not romantic, and it’s really, really unpleasant. If a guy can’t take no for an answer, that’s a huge red flag.

Sources: askmen.com, thoughtcatalog.com