Contrast Couples

Elisabeth, a 34-year-old lawyer, decided to try online dating by signing up for OkCupid in May 2014. She didn’t expect much from it because she knew that online dating could be difficult, especially for women who are overweight.

Her law school friend, who was newly divorced and starting to date again, encouraged Elisabeth and two other former bridesmaids to join her in signing up for the dating site. In a show of support, Elisabeth agreed.

In her previous attempts at online dating, Elisabeth had always presented a polished and carefully curated version of herself, but this approach hadn’t been successful. So, this time, she decided to create an “obnoxious version” of herself for her profile.