From Skeptic to Believer: Why I Chose a Premium Dating Platform
I used to be the person at dinner parties making fun of “exclusive” dating clubs. The idea seemed pretentious. Why would anyone pay for a service or jump through hoops just to meet people? It felt like an admission of defeat—or worse, a vanity project for people who thought they were too good for the general population. For years, I stuck to the mass-market apps everyone knows. I swiped left. I swiped right. I endured endless small talk that went nowhere. I told myself this was just how modern dating worked—a numbers game where persistence would eventually pay off. Then I looked at my calendar. Three years on free apps. Countless first dates that felt like job interviews or emotional babysitting. I wasn’t unlucky—I was exhausted. The turning point wasn’t one bad date, but a realization about my own value. I invest in my career, my health, my wardrobe, and my travel. So why was I treating the search for a life partner like a bargain-bin hunt? That’s when I decided to try a p...