To me, dual mating strategy is rational, reasonable, and both sexes do it. I agree with lots of RP ideas. But the AF/BB narrative feels soooo narrow and doesn’t at all reflect the experiences I see around me. I’d love to hear your experiences!

Women: I’m 30F so it’s easier to describe the women’s stories I see.

  1. When you don’t know what you want, you try a bunch of stuff! We tend to focus on women “chadchasing” in this stage. But in reality women go for all sorts of men. I knew a hot girl who only dated somewhat cute, low EQ math nerds in college. (Her husband is much more matched to her looks / social skills.) She’s not the exception, either! I know several girls who dated duds in college, who married a much more attractive man later. I also know girls who dated super hot guys and married a normal looking guy. The point is, all sorts of experimentation happens.

  2. Over time you discover what’s important for long term relationships. Attraction for sure matters. But there are SO MANY other qualities that make someone a good life partner. Maybe your first serious boyfriend has great husband potential, and you marry. Or maybe you aren’t so compatible, and you find someone else that’s better long term. You choose your husband based on chemistry and compatibility, and you invest in making the relationship wonderful.

Men: Based on my close friendships with a few men.

  1. Most have an experimentation phase, whether it’s just dating around, or trying to hook up with as many girls as possible. Some guys go for volume, others go for looks, and yet others feel lucky to get anyone at all. And some guys are serial monogamists. Everyone is trying to figure out what they like.

  2. Guys eventually feel ready to settle down. Maybe more of their friends are engaged. At this point they start looking for women with similar values, whom they admire, who would make great parents. Again, note the shift towards longer term.

Tl;dr: Both sexes may take time to figure out what they like, and may date differently for exploration vs marriage.