A woman named Erin Iveson has posted a pair of TikTok videos cataloging the personal habits she says should disqualify her from the dating pool.
The first video is titled “List of reasons I would not date me.” The second, posted after the first drew a wave of criticism, is titled “List of reasons I would not date me part 2.”
Iveson opened the first video by explaining that she was new to dating and wanted to be upfront about who she is before anyone got involved.
“So I’m back on the dating market and, um. Back. Let’s be honest, I’ve never been on the dating market before. I wanted to come on here and cancel myself and tell you why I am actually not eligible to date because I am a gross girl. And it’s not a gross girl in, like, a pick me sort of a way. Like, oh, my god. I don’t wash my strawberries before I eat them. It’s like I’m actually gross, but really, I don’t wash my strawberries before I eat them,” Iveson said.
The strawberries, she said, were only one example of a broader rule she applies to everything she eats, with one exception for guests.
“I don’t wash any of my fruits and vegetables before I myself eat my food. Now, if I’m preparing it for other people, yeah, I’m gonna wash it. But I’ve told the internet before, I used to eat grass as a kid, and that was for sure sprayed with Roundup weed killer,” Iveson said.
Her water bottle gets similar treatment. Iveson said she nicknamed it after a soup that simmers indefinitely, and she’s fully aware of what builds up inside it.
“So first and foremost, I don’t wash my water bottles. I call my water bottle perpetual stew because the only thing I drink is water. That’s the only thing that goes in there. So I just pour more water and more water and more water, and I know what biofilm is. I just don’t care. And I will drink my perpetual stew forever. I wash my water bottle. Once I see visible mold, that is when. When the straw gets slippery or icy mold, that’s when I’ll. When I’ll wash it next,” Iveson said.
From there, she moved on to her feet, which would go on to become the most talked-about item on either list.
“I am a barefoot person. I don’t wear shoes. I don’t like to wear shoes? What about when you go out to eat? I’ll wear a flowy pants so that you can’t see my feet. I don’t like to wear shoes. I walk around barefoot everywhere I go. That includes outside, even in the city. Sometimes when I come home, I don’t wash my feet. I will just put on socks, because the socks are clean, and it will, I guess, cover up all the dirt that is on my feet. I will even sleep like that. So if I don’t feel like washing my feet before I go to bed, I’ll just put on a clean pair of socks,” Iveson said.
The same routine follows her onto the trail, she said, including on overnight trips.
“I also do that while I am hiking. I’m a barefoot hiker, so I won’t wear shoes all day long. I will have literal mud on my feet, and before I get my sleeping bag, I just throw some socks on and call it a day,” Iveson said.
Not everything on the list involved neglect. Iveson said she takes her teeth seriously, even when she has to improvise on the road.
“As much as I am a gross girl, oral hygiene is extremely important to me. I brush my teeth at least four times a day. Every time I get in the car, I use a miswak stick. I brush my teeth morning and night. I floss, too. Um, but when I do not have floss, I will pull out my own hair, like the hair from my head, and I will use that as dental floss. It’s usually like when I’m in the car, and I just finished eating or something, but I will use my own hair as dental floss,” Iveson said.
Her ear care follows a similar pattern, pairing strong opinions about the right method with an unconventional choice of tool.
“Again, right in line with the hygiene thing. I think Q-tips are terrible for cleaning your ears. But I do clean my ears. I have every single tool available to me to clean my ears, but I’m going to clean them with a Bobby pin. Don’t ask to borrow any of my Bobby pins if you are disturbed by that fact,” Iveson said.
In the shower, she said, a single sponge handles every job.
“In terms of showering, I use the same washcloth sponge. I use an African net sponge to wash my face as I do to wash my [backside]. I feel like the African net sponge forgets what it washed after 24 hours or 12 hours or whatever it is by the next time I use it,” Iveson said.
She closed the first video with the theory she said ties all of the habits together.
“I. I really stand by the belief that I can either have a clean car, a clean house, or I can be clean. You can only pick two of those things. You can’t have all three of them at the same time. So I usually choose to have a very clean house and car. And I am dirty and gross. And there’s my confessions. I’m sure I’ll think of more, cause I’m nasty,” Iveson said.
@eriniveson Gross girls unite #dating #wlw #healing #breakup
♬ original sound – Erin Iveson
The video drew a strong response, and Iveson said commenters fixated on what she considered the tamest item on the list. She opened her follow-up video by pointing that out.
“I am back on the dating market, and I posted a list of reasons why I think people would not want to be a contender on my potential list of dating candidates. Because I’m a gross girl. One of the most vanilla reasons I said, in my opinion, is that I walk barefoot everywhere. And the internet was in an uproar over my feet. About me hiking outside barefoot and walking in the city barefoot. This must mean the majority of people watching my videos are not nature people, because I think all of you would be horrified to learn of the things that I do when I’m out in the woods for weeks on end. So here is part two of reasons I think you should not date me,” Iveson said.
The first item on the second list involved long drives, and her opinion of highway rest stops.
“If I go on a long road trip and the bathrooms are disgusting along the way, and I don’t wanna go in a gas station bathroom, I’ll pee in a container. It doesn’t matter if I’m driving or if I’m a passenger, I’ll pee in a bottle. Honestly, public bathrooms are gross, and I would much rather pee outside,” Iveson said.
She then turned to a habit she insisted almost everyone shares, but few will admit to.
“I pick my nose. And if you say you don’t pick your nose, I think you’re a liar. It’s not an all the time thing, but if I’m out and I don’t have a tissue, I’m gonna. I’m gonna pick my nose and flick it. If I’m at home, I’m gonna use a tissue. If I’m, like, in my car and I check before I go in somewhere, and I’ve got, like, a bat in the cave. I’m gonna pick it, and you’re lying if you say you don’t,” Iveson said.
Her car is also where she indulges what she described as a fondness for certain smells, starting with her nose ring.
“Right in line with that, when I’m in my car, one of my things that I like to do is turn my nose ring. But the reason I like to turn it is because it smells like rotting flesh, and I really enjoy that smell. Like, I will hold my nostril just so I can smell the rotting flesh from my piercing. And since I’m gross, I like the smell of all piercings, like the smell of earrings when you take them out,” Iveson said.
Jewelry is not the only accessory she said she looks forward to smelling at the end of the day.
“Right. Along with that, I also take my watch off every night, and I’m so excited to smell, uh, it smells sour, and it’s the best. I would be really sad if my watch band ever lost that sour smell,” Iveson said.
Her approach to sweat, she said, comes from a belief about what actually causes body odor in the first place.
“Every day I work out, and I sweat like crazy, and I wear those same sweaty workout clothes all day long. I’m also a dirty hippie. Don’t love deodorant. I think that people’s sweat doesn’t smell. It’s stale sweat that smells. So I opt to not wear deodorant a lot of the time, and I will just wash my armpits with hand soap when necessary. Also, I think your body odor smells based on what you eat, and I eat extremely clean, so my body odor doesn’t really smell that bad,” Iveson said.
Before wrapping up, she returned to her nose one more time, this time with a pair of tweezers she keeps in her car.
“Back to the nose. This is just a crazy thing that I do. I always have a pair of tweezers in my car, and I like to pluck my nose hairs. I like the way it feels. I like that it gives me that sensation like I’m about to sneeze, and I just stick my tweezers up my nose, and I grab hair, and I yank it out,” Iveson said.
She also addressed viewers who told her she does not look like someone who would do any of it.
“So many people were like, oh, my god, but you look so clean. I am clean. My house is clean. My car is clean. I just do gross things. And I think you’re lying to yourself if you say that you don’t. I think everyone just needs to be a little bit more honest with themselves. Oh, yeah. And you’re not gonna hurt my feelings by calling me gross. I already know that I’m gross. I was a weird kid growing up. I used to eat bugs,” Iveson said.
Iveson ended the second video by explaining why she posted the lists.
“I’m just trying to let the people know that I’m nasty so that they don’t come my way at all and waste their time. Because being on the dating market is hard. And if any of these are deal breakers, I’m just putting it all out on the table. I’m sure I could think of more. Okay. Love you. Bye,” Iveson said.
@eriniveson Gross girls don’t care about a digital footprint #dating #healing #breakup #wlw
♬ original sound – Erin Iveson
What are your thoughts? Drop your opinions below!
