When Allyson met John, a 6-foot-3 Ivy League grad, on Match.com, she thought she had finally hit the jackpot.
Standing at 6 feet herself, the 25-year-old had long scoured the online dating scene for a man with above-average height and substance to match. A few e-mails later, the two set a date to meet.
“In my mind, I’d created my Prince Charming who was tall, perfect, well-built and went to Harvard,” admits the advertising and marketing executive, who declined to give her last name. But after making the trek from her Upper West Side apartment to a West Village restaurant, reality sank in.
“The second I saw John, I realized he was closer to 5-foot-10. It was incredibly awkward because I’d caught him in this lie. We still stayed for drinks, but he didn’t even offer to foot my half of the bill.”
Such is the plight of online romances, where first dates can feel like “Catfish” outtakes. Interests are exaggerated, turn-offs are omitted and profile pictures are outdated — if not Photoshopped entirely.
But what if lying about your looks wasn’t an option?
View N Me, a month-old dating site, uses live video chats — either one-on-one or speed-dating sessions — to make fudging your appearance just about impossible.
“There’s a level of deception that is usually associated with user profiles,” says View N Me co-founder Eric Friedman. “They often show a person’s best traits and qualities, including posting the best picture they’ve ever taken. With video, there’s no way to BS.”
Still, a first date via video comes with challenges. “It feels a little funny, at first, to be dating from your kitchen table,” admits Allyson, now a View N Me user. “But after the first couple of minutes, you get over your initial fears and enjoy the simplicity of it.”
Friedman and co-founder Lindsey Lachlan, both 29, launched View N Me after experiencing frustrating first dates. “Online dating has become a contact sport — the more people you contact, the more people you’re able to meet,” Friedman laments. “But that takes a lot of time and a lot of money. [With] video, you’re able to reach out to more people in a quicker and cheaper fashion.”
That bodes well for Mike, a Midtown resident and View N Me user who estimates he’s gone on more than 100 dates in the past two years.
“I’ve traveled further than was convenient to meet someone who sounded great online,” says the 32-year-old singer, who declined to give his last name. “Then I met her and it was like, ‘Meh, not so much.’ ”
But live video calls don’t come without risks. In hopes of preventing View N Me from becoming the next Chat Roulette, the founders instituted a registration fee to deter potential abusers.
The site’s greatest accomplishment might be making it socially acceptable to wear sweatpants on a date.
“I’m lazy,” Lachlan confesses. “I just make sure my hair looks nice and I’m wearing a clean shirt. With View N Me, I don’t even need to worry about finding nice pants.”