07-05-2025
The five 'icks' men are guilty of that women cannot stand: 'She's mentally exiting the chat'
If you've ever found yourself wondering why your Hinge match suddenly stopped replying after what you thought was a 'great vibe', a leading dating expert says she might just have your answer.
Perth-based relationship coach and professional matchmaker Louanne Ward has taken to Instagram to brutally expose the five instant 'icks'.
Those annoying habits or tendencies that, according to her, don't just turn women off - they completely kill attraction altogether.
Louanne, who has spent decades helping singles navigate the often murky waters of modern dating, said these are things 'she can't unsee' and neither can other women.
If you think you're immune, think again, because Louanne warns that once a woman spots one of these red flags, they're already halfway out the door.
And while you might think a great smile and a decent chat is enough to keep the spark alive, Louanne warns that sometimes it's the smallest things.
The unconscious habits men don't even realise they're doing are the ones that can have a woman mentally packing her bags mid-date.
From baby talk and tech tantrums to pouty selfies and fake 'smouldering' stares, here's exactly what could be sending her running for the hills.
1. Cutie Baby Talk
Calling your girlfriend 'Mummy' or speaking to her like she's your puppy or a cartoon character? Major no-no.
Louanne says this cringeworthy habit is the fastest way to make her mentally exit the chat. 'It's not cute. It's cringey'.
2. Tech Rage
Losing your temper at your phone, screaming at the TV remote or going full Hulk-mode at a roundabout isn't showing 'passion' - it's showing you might be one minor inconvenience away from a full meltdown.
According to Louanne, pressure doesn't feel safe, and if a woman doesn't feel safe, the chemistry is dead on arrival.
3. Pouty Selfies and AI-Generated Profile Pics
If your dating profile photo looks like you're about to land a role in the next Marvel movie (thanks to some heavy-handed AI editing), it's not giving 'mysterious' bad boy - it's giving major beige flag, apparently.
'She's not swooning. She's dry. You're not mysterious. You're just overedited,' said Louanne.
4. Fingers in Your Mouth Mid-Meal
If you're elbow-deep in your own molars at the dinner table, don't expect sparks to fly.
'Bad breath is one thing. But picking food out of your teeth with your nail? It's not just a hygiene fail. It's a primal repulsion.'
And once that image is seared into her brain, no amount of charm will save you.
5. The Fake Smoulder
Lip licking, chin stroking and intense 'perfume-ad stares' are last on the list.
Men may might think they're channelling a brooding heartthrob, but Louanne warned that women will likely think 'you're auditioning for an off-brand aftershave commercial'.
On some further reflection, Louanne has also recently dished out some other advice for singles who hear these seven words on a date: 'I haven't met the right person yet,'
She noted that the seemingly innocent statement could be one of the most misleading sentences in modern dating.
While it might sound harmless on the surface, Louanne explained that it's rarely as simple as it seems.
'Not because you're lying, but because it's the only explanation you've ever been given,' she said.
Ward noted that the phrase has been widely accepted because of the way society perpetuates it.
'Your friends say it to comfort you, your parents repeat it to give you hope, movies romanticise it, break-ups justify it,' she said.
But the real reason people remain single, she argues, runs much deeper than just not finding the 'right' person.
'You're not waiting. You're repeating,' she said.
