I never insisted on a man who checked all the boxes. But once I saw myself as someone who deserved to be picky, the whole world changed...
![What Should You Look For In a Guy?](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/268/190860/5809ee1600fec/What-Should-You-Look-For-In-a-Guy.jpg)
My friend Naina told me when we were both in our late twenties, “A guy can either pledge his undying love to me or hit the road.”
“But it takes forever for men to tell you how they feel.” I insisted in confusion. At the time, I had been dating my boyfriend for nine months, but he still hadn’t told me he loved me. He did say, repeatedly, that he just didn’t believe in marriage. As tired as I was of waiting for him to take our relationship seriously, I trusted that he’d grow up sooner or later. “I am not going out with anyone who makes less than 30L,” my friend Saira told me a few years later.
“That’s absurd!” I said.
At the point, I was living with a perpetually unemployed stoner. As tired as I was of bearing that my boyfriend wouldn’t even consider settling down until his career was more established, I simply couldn’t imagine kicking him to the curb based on his income tax bracket alone. But after the relationship ended, the fourth in a string of romantic failures, I could see that whatever I was doing, it wasn’t working. But instead of questioning my selection criteria, I just assumed there was something wrong with me. Maybe I was too emotional or needy. Maybe I needed to talk things through too much. Somehow, even though I had never used any selection criteria beyond attraction in choosing guys to date, I was the one who didn’t check all the boxes. “Make a list,” my mother’s best friend, Janvi, told me one day when I was visiting my family home. She pressed a finger into the table to really emphasise her point. “Write down the traits you can’t live without. If a guy doesn’t have everything you want, don’t even think about dating him.”
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2016 من Cosmopolitan India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2016 من Cosmopolitan India.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
![Hands Up If You've Been To Forgetting Apply SPF To These Areas](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/J3uqgFL7C1717761431335/crp_HANDS-UP-IF-YOUVE-BEEN-TO-FORGETTING-APPLY-SPF-TO-THESE-AREAS.jpg)
Hands Up If You've Been To Forgetting Apply SPF To These Areas
“Raises hand* and instantly reaches for sun protection
![Is Social Media Really A Free Space?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/putc81Ma01717766174989/crp_IS-SOCIAL-MEDIA-REALLY-A-FREE-SPACE.jpg)
Is Social Media Really A Free Space?
We're always rooting for self-expression...especially on the internet. But a friendly and important—reminder to proceed with caution.
![PAMPER YOUR BABY WITH A LUXE SKINCARE EXPERIENCE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/3Hvq59_hm1718011429708/PAMPER-YOUR-BABY-WITH-A-LUXE-SKINCARE-EXPERIENCE.jpg)
PAMPER YOUR BABY WITH A LUXE SKINCARE EXPERIENCE
Baby care brand CITTA offers products that are perfect for newborns and kids with the most sensitive skin
![Are we all Letterboxd-pilled?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/E4v52rcSh1717766347195/ARE-WE-ALL-LETTERBOXDPILLED.jpg)
Are we all Letterboxd-pilled?
Film study grad or not, everyone's a critic now!
![Burning bright](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/5kTYzZ7HL1717765824128/BURNING-BRIGHT.jpg)
Burning bright
Cosmo India speaks to six creators about how they handle the grind and the toll it takes on their bodies and minds.
![MATCH POINT: Polyamory & the green-eyed monster](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/KCZkvT9Eu1717765525973/MATCH-POINT-POLYAMORY-THE-GREENEYED-MONSTER.jpg)
MATCH POINT: Polyamory & the green-eyed monster
While the concept is still more nascent than normative in India, traditionalists have one big question: what becomes of the jealousy?
![Hello, 2024's dating lingo for you](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/C8D-mOmu21717765367950/HELLO-2024S-DATING-LINGO-FOR-YOU.jpg)
Hello, 2024's dating lingo for you
Fresh ways to complicate your life this season.
![Listen? You need to STOP making your crush uncomfortable](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/KPYq2F8-X1717765205376/LISTEN-YOU-NEED-TO-STOP-MAKING-YOUR-CRUSH-UNCOMFORTABLE.jpg)
Listen? You need to STOP making your crush uncomfortable
And yes, you might just be doing it involuntarily.
![Fillers on your mind?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/kIeb_5Jp91717764889915/FILLERS-ON-YOUR-MIND.jpg)
Fillers on your mind?
Cosmo intern Jia Noor Singh Bhandal's (very) quick and (very) easy take on the cosmetic procedure.
![A nifty textbook guide to cleaning your beauty shelfie](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/268/1725325/oXj_EuTTS1717761624869/A-NIFTY-TEXTBOOK-GUIDE-TO-CLEANING-YOUR-BEAUTY-SHELFIE.jpg)
A nifty textbook guide to cleaning your beauty shelfie
Sorry, but it is time to finally throw away your three-year-old dried out mascara.