As reported by BuzzFeed, netizens opened up in response to the pressing question posed by Reddit user bigreddoggydude: “What is some brutally honest dating advice for women in 2026?” Some of the answers received might sound provocative, but a large portion were truly helpful.
While reading through the never-ending conversation for myself, several nuggets of wisdom caught my eye. Here they are, in their typo-infested messiness and eloquence:
1. “Definitely don’t lead with ‘Men are trash’” ~ DredgenYorMother
2. “Just because a man will sleep with you doesn’t mean he wants to date you.” ~ ThePurpleandBanana
3. “And just because a man will keep you around for a while like he is dating you, doesn’t mean he wants to keep you forever. Men will keep a woman for the company and sex, like a friend with benefits they intend to leave once they find something better. Happens all the time. They will lie to your face saying they love you, when all they see you as is a friend with benefits.” ~ BirdsSpamPoop
4. “You can’t ‘fix’ him. If you don’t like who he is at this exact moment, don’t pursue him and then get mad when he doesn’t turn into whatever version of him you’re imagining. People only change for themselves.” ~ CombatCrayon25
5. “Brutally honest dating advice for women in 2026: Stop falling in love with potential. Pay attention to what someone actually does, not what they promise they’ll become. If he wanted a relationship, you wouldn’t have to keep guessing where you stand.” ~ Misstemptingg
6. “A man being soft doesn’t mean he can’t hurt you. If his behavior rings alarm bells, don’t ignore it just because he’s nice most of the time. Take note of it and act accordingly if it’s part of a pattern.” ~ SilverInfluence5714
7. “Be a person you would want to date and also find another hobby that isn’t traveling.” ~ Medium-Trade2950
8. “I am a man, and this is dating advice I’d give to anyone, man or woman. Work on yourself. Work on liking yourself. Work on being happy being alone. So many people jump into horrible relationships because they’re terrified of being alone. As someone who’d gone about six years without a partner, it’s really not that bad.” ~ IMian91
9. “You need to learn the difference between men who act confident because they are competent, and men who act competent becuase they are arrogant. They can both be attractive, but one will drag you down and one will build you up.” ~ steak820
10. “Be better at conversation. Really, it’s advice for everybody in 2026. So many people these days lead with judgment instead of curiosity, and as bad as that is on social media, it’s extremely toxic when interacting with strangers in real life, especially in dating.” ~ LetTheOthersRush
11. “Don’t use your dating profile to tell us what you don’t want. Don’t say you don’t want drama. This is code for ‘I reserve all the drama for myself’.” ~ JJohnston015
12. “Having high standards is different from having unrealistic standards. It’s good to have high standards, but if you have unrealistic standards, the only people who will meet them are people who are too good to be true.” ~ Dragon_Disciple
13. “If you don’t feel the chemistry, then that is a red flag. If you aren’t truly attracted physically to the other, then that is a red flag. And those are two different things.” ~ Dazzling_Lie_5046
14. “Beware the hobosexual” ~ Icy-Management9880″
15. “Don’t come to r/AskReddit for dating advice” ~ No-Market9917
The issue of sabotage and discerning the true intentions of supposed friends came up in the thread. Researchers from Oxford University found that women have about five close friends and lose two when entering a new relationship.
So much of what you should do in a relationship, of course, depends on the complexities of individual situations as well as your aims. If your goal is simply to hook a certain type of man, then, of course, manipulation can work like a charm. If you seek genuine partnership, then be honest at the risk of losing the person. If you aspire to be a homemaker, do not let some envious internet troll tell you that you’re being unrealistic.
Personally, I like fashionista Angus de Kirkby‘s advice that if a man asks you what you bring to the table, you should respond that you’re not a waitress and move on. A woman’s worth is in her essence. Similarly, I encourage women to follow thatksenia, since Miss Ksenia encourages her sisters to raise their standards and protect themselves from receiving the short end of any deal. This Russian vixen offers wise financial advice to men as well. As an antidote to heartbreak, readers can also enjoy some practical German wisdom from Anuschka Van Lent here.
Empowering jokes aside, for those seeking healthy relationships, I recommend listening to narcissistic abuse recovery coaches in order to more quickly identify what behaviors, including those that may initially seem cute and charming, are more insidious than they appear. Richard Grannon, Awakened Survivor, Jill Wise, and Danish Bashir are all fantastic experts.
The post Women Asked for Brutally Honest Dating Advice, and the Internet Did Not Hold Back appeared first on VICE.
