In a world where appearances are everything, and first impressions really do count, online dating can be difficult. For those ladies out there that are unhappy with the way that they look, the very thought of broadcasting yourself out there with people judging you based on a tiny profile page and a single photograph can seem incredibly daunting. The truth is though ladies; if you don’t put yourself out there, how can you ever expect to find love?

The thing that a lot of women refuse to believe is that not every guy out there is looking for the next stick-thin supermodel such as Victoria Beckham or Kate Moss. Some guys actually prefer a bit of “cushion for the pushin’” as they would say. Just because you are not happy with the way that you look, doesn’t mean that someone out there isn’t going to love you – curves and all!

If you are a beautiful, intelligent, curvy lady that is debating on joining the world of online dating, let us make things a little easier for you. Take a look at these simple tricks and tips to put yourself out there without feeling completely overexposed:

Do not be afraid of your curves! Marilyn Monroe certainly wasn’t, and she was no size zero beauty! Who cares if you have a bit of wobble – you earned your wobble so enjoy it. The profile picture is often the hardest thing for plus sized or curvy ladies, but there are ways to incorporate your actual size into a photograph where you are still happy and feel that you look good.

Dress in your favourite outfit, put some make up on and do your hair – when you have a beautiful smiling face, no one is going to care about the extra spare tire you have around your midriff. Certainly not the ones that you would mean anything to you in the first place! Be proud of your figure and put it right out there!

Do not lie about your size! There is going to be nothing as heartbreaking as putting a picture up on the online dating website of you looking three sizes smaller and then meeting the guy face to face, only for him to tell you that he didn’t realize you were so big and walk away. Do you want to be sat in a bar or restaurant crying? If you are serious in your bid to find love, you are going to meet someone at some point, so what is the point in lying about how you look? You wouldn’t want a man to lie about anything to you – give him the same courtesy back.

Now for the really helpful stuff – the first date stuff!

Always let your personality shine through. You may not feel confident, but act as if this guy is your longest buddy and you will be bubbling away in no time at all. At the same time, dress for the part. There is no point in trying to squeeze yourself in to a size 10 dress if you are a size 16. Embrace the size 16 dress, and you will look much better for it. If you are struggling with your confidence levels, go get a haircut, a manicure, or a mini makeover to make yourself feel better. There are a whole ton of ways that you can make yourself feel good about yourself, but if you cannot feel good about yourself, you cannot expect others to feel good around you!