Everyone Has a Stinky Date Story, What's Yours?

Dating in your 40s? It’s a whole different beast. On this week’s episode of The Meet Market, high school teacher and confident queen Michelle joins hosts Lindsay and Jess to talk about what it's like dating with experience, standards, and zero tolerance for BS (or bad hygiene).

Michelle, 42, isn’t waiting around for Prince Charming—she’ll walk right up to the guy at the gym or the one fishing at the park and start a conversation. She's bold, direct, and totally over men who need dragging through life. If you're not brushing your teeth, holding down a job, and contributing to society, don’t even bother.

We dove into the evolving standards that come with age. Michelle’s checklist isn’t about perfection—it’s about grown-up basics: self-care, independence, and please, for the love of God, decent hygiene. One guy’s scent was so bad she could literally smell his butt across the table. Another casually pulled out an insulin pen and jabbed himself at dinner without warning. Dating in 2024 is wild.

Then there’s the roommate debate. Michelle’s not here for 40-somethings still sharing a kitchen with Chad from college. The hosts offered a gentle “well, the housing market is rough,” but let’s be real—it’s okay to want a partner who’s financially and emotionally stable.

The episode also tackled vacation flings, long-distance setups, and the pros and cons of dating someone who’s about to move. Michelle isn’t into “temporary” love stories, and honestly, same. But the group did agree: if distance is involved, good communication is non-negotiable. (Bonus points for FaceTime dinner dates or shared Spotify playlists.)

Of course, no dating convo is complete without a few app horror stories. Michelle shared one about a guy who, before even meeting, sent her several selfies—including ones with his kid—and expected the same in return. Boundary violation much? Let’s all agree to stop acting like online dating gives you a backstage pass to someone’s life.

But the real gem of this episode? Michelle’s rock-solid sense of self. As she put it, “I know who I am. I know that I’m a cute girl. I’ve got my life together. And if someone doesn’t want to be a part of that, I’m good because I really like my single life.”

Amen. That’s the energy we’re taking into this summer—and every season after that.