Singles sound offHere’s what local respondents on Facebook say they look for (or run away from) on a first date:”I once went for coffee with a guy who, within the first 20 minutes, told me he wanted to direct adult movies. I was in college, and he was studying film. He wasn’t joking. I’m not a prude, but it was too much.”- Laura Galbraith”Hygiene… If you have bad hygiene, you can keep on going.”- David Casson”They have to have some interest in ‘Star Wars’ or else we won’t get along.”- Jessie Bailey”Do they have all their teeth?”- Mark Sexton”Having dated someone once who had been convicted of attempted murder, I still think my No. 1 pet peeve is cleanliness.”- Tristen Vickery”Morals and values are always No.1 with me. Someone who does not believe in premarital sex or bed hop from man to man.”- Bill Francisco”[If he] lives with his mother still!”- Deanna JarrellWHAT WE WANTAccording to a 2012 survey funded by online dating site Match.com, here is what singles say they judge the most in a potential mate:MEN58 percent – Teeth55 percent – Grammar51 percent – Hair45 percent – Clothing40 percent – Tattoo37 percent – Nails/hands19 percent – Accent18 percent – Shoes13 percent – Car9 percent – Electronic devices they carryWOMEN71 percent – Teeth69 percent – Grammar58 percent – Clothing53 percent – Hair52 percent – Nails/hands34 percent – Tattoo29 percent – Shoes24 percent – Car22 percent – Accent10 percent – Electronic devices they carry
All Valerie Duke wants is a guy who will treat her right and hasn’t completely abandoned chivalry.
Of course, it wouldn’t hurt if his hands also sport a few calluses and his arms aren’t flabby. And she wouldn’t mind if he had kind eyes, a positive outlook and a take-charge attitude.
In short, she knows what she wants.
“When you sit down and a guy is making fun of people and being super-negative, I’m like, ‘I’m done with you,’ ” says Duke, 25, a featured vocalist with Knoxville-based swing band The Brad Walker Orchestra.