A new dating site wants you to settle

The word “settle” is probably the most fraught term in the world of dating. But a new dating site is urging users to “settle for love.”

“We feel like we all settle to some extent,” says Settle For Love founder David Wheeler. “It’s a very catchy name in that it jumps out at people. We all want to settle for love.”

Despite the fact that there are so many dating sites out there, Wheeler says there was room for one more because his site emphasizes something that most others don’t: honesty.

“I was online dating quite a bit five years ago,” he recalls. “And I found that a lot of folks seemed to be hiding things — either they posted a picture that didn’t exactly look like them or they were hiding parts of their personalities.

He offers these suggestions for those who want to create an honest (yet appealing) profile:

Appear comfortable with yourself: “Just because something is a con for you, doesn’t mean that it is a con for somebody else,” says Wheeler. Photos that are deliberately cropped to hide things like a thinning hairline or a few extra pounds will only make you appear insecure when you finally do meet your date in person.

Don’t act like you are trying out for a part. Dating ultimately, Wheeler reminds us, is supposed to be fun. “On traditional dating sites, it can kind of feel like you are on an audition site. There really wasn’t a way for you to represent the entire you.” Showing some flaws and vulnerability is much more honest, he points out.

Show the world you aren’t perfect: One of the unique features of Settle For Love, says Wheeler, is that all male users are required to put up at least one ugly photo of themselves. “Females aren’t forced to put up a bad picture,” says Wheeler. “But when we initially launched we found that some girls actually wanted to.”

Follow Lakshmi Gandhi on Twitter @LakshmiGandhi.