Women notice more things than men think they do on their first dates, from untrimmed nails and a poorly coordinated outfit to a scruffy beard, according to a recent survey published by Jiayuan.com, China's leading dating site.
The survey, published right before China's Qixi Festival, also known as Chinese Valentine's Day, was intended to offer the single some advice on their first dates.
The report showed that 84 percent of women will first notice whether their date's facial hair is tidy; 72 percent will first study whether the man's outfit is well matched, and 60 percent will first pay attention to their nails. Some women will even judge the color of the man's socks.
For a successful first date, a good impression is very important, said Zhang Jiarui, a relationship expert with the dating site. She noticed that young people nowadays share many things in common: They love to stay at home alone during their free time and are reluctant to go out and unwilling to make new friends. "They really need to step out of their comfort zone to develop their social skills," she said.
The report also found that singles, men and women, are very critical of their appearance. Only 38 percent of men and 39 percent of women are happy with their bodies. In Beijing and Shanghai, as many as 70 percent of men are unsatisfied with their figure.
Although most men were not happy with their bodies, they were not as motivated as women to improve their body shape, Zhang said. She believes that women are more emotional than men in a relationship, and are more willing to show their best to their dates.
The top two reasons for single men and women to lose weight are staying healthy and looking better. About 10 percent believe they could increase their chance of finding a partner by losing weight.
According to Zhang, people are becoming more and more critical about each other's appearance in relationships. "Besides material possessions wants such as having houses and cars, many people's requirements are now expanding to appearance, height, weight and even hairstyle," she said. "And in terms of image, men are more critical than women."
