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Thank you for your thoughts, Mila! It's always interesting to hear the perspective of women such as yourself.

For the first part, I haven't looked at many profiles of the men here but I would generally agree. Men usually don't have as nice of photos, for whatever reason. I think we usually just don't put as much time or effort into them and it's a shame because, as you said, the photos are really the first thing that draws a person to your profile. Good photos are essential to "online dating".

I will say though, that photos can be culturally different. You mentioned that some photos of men obviously show a woman that has been cut out of the picture. This doesn't always mean that the man is hiding something or having problems letting go of another woman. In the USA, for example, it's quite normal and even expected for both sexes to show photos that are in a group or with other men/women. On American dating sites, it's actually a little strange if a person does NOT have photos with someone else. They are often used to show that the person is sociable, has friends, or has had previous relationships; all good things in American culture. I, personally, had to look through quite a lot of my photos to find any that did not have another person in the frame.

It works the other way too. American women do not usually take the posed, "model" type photos that are so familiar on profiles here. It's just not common in our culture unless the woman is actually a model. I know for me, it was pretty shocking the first time I signed up for sites like this one. I wondered if all the women in Russia/Eastern Europe were at least part time models.   Profile photos of American women (and men) usually focus on things like hobbies, sports, family, vacation, groups of friends, etc. We also usually always smile (or try to) in our photos. Again, it's cultural.   So if a Western man jumps onto a site like this, he'll probably use the same type of photos that he's familiar with....until he learns otherwise.  

So while I generally agree with your points about photos, especially about the usual poor quality of photos from men, there are some cultural differences that can lead to misunderstandings.

As for the second part, a lot of the stereotypes are just due to ignorance (as most stereotypes are). Russia, like the USA, is a large country with both rich and poor people. I believe I read somewhere that Moscow has more millionaires than New York City.   Quite a far cry from poverty! Of course, they don't represent the majority of Russians (just as the millionaires in the USA don't represent the majority here) but my point is that nearly EVERY country has its' rich and poor, good and bad, and people should educate themselves rather than buy into stereotypes.

Another example from my perspective; I've travelled to Ukraine a number of times now and met quite a few people, both men and women. I was asked NUMEROUS times "Is it true that all American women are fat"?   I thought it was funny but the answer, of course, is no. Not all American women are fat just as not all Russians live difficult, destitute lives.  

I completely agree with the last part of your post. I think most of us are looking for the same things; love, trust, respect, understanding, stability, happiness. It's not easy to find but it's always worth trying for.

13.04.15

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