Contemporary Conceptions:

A ‘Dateable‘ Status- A Must Read

“Clueless about the opposite sex?”

Well, yeah, aren’t we all? I can’t think of a time that I’ve been right about anything the male species talks or thinks about. It’s like trying to read a potato -you get nothing. Ever had a guy who seemed extremely friendly, but you couldn’t tell if he was flirting with you or just being nice and you just didn’t know what to do? Don’t ask me, ’cause I sure don’t know the answer. Have you ever asked your parents for advice on a girl/guy that is being mean to you and you didn’t know what to do? And then your parents tell you, “Oh mija! He is being mean because he likes you, te gusta mucha!” But was that really their way of showing their affection? Maybe they were being mean because they seriously hated you with every fiber of their being…but then again, maybe not. All in all, reading the opposite sex is as useful as reading the theory of quantum physics.

According to Justin Lookado and Hayley DiMarco, people are easier to read than we thing. In 2003, they published the book, Dateable, where both authors took turns in explaining the inner workings of the teenage mind and how to handle situations pertaining to life, relationships, or friendships. Their goal was to ultimately make you not only a more likable human being, but a more dateable one as well.

The book has to be the greatest thing I have ever opened (besides Harry Potter, but I digress). It comically explained male and female interactions, giving me a more realistic view of high school relationships. Dateable was given to me by a good friend whose mother thought it would help her get through the chaos we call “high school love”. She was talking to me about it one night while we were having a Harry Potter Marathon (we seriously had one and I brought my Harry Potter wand too!) and I thought, Well why not take a look at it?

I didn’t finish the book in one sitting like I normally do – this just wasn’t the type of book you fly through, become euphoric for finishing in less than six hours, and then set it down to collect dust until you pick it up again three years later. No, this was the kind of book that really makes you think; whether about past relationships, ones that could have been, or the future ones you plan on pursuing. Don’t be alarmed – it’s not some psycho-analyzing book that makes you second guess every little thing and question every hidden motive, but it does get those brain juices flowing and opens up a new world to your relationship status.

The book takes you through 17 color filled chapters that range from sensitive issues like sex to more light weight things such as always smiling and just, overall, being a happy person. Dateable starts off with a prologue called “The Thing Before The Thing” where Lookado and DiMarco explain to their readers what the book has to come. Then it goes onto the first, and my personal favorite, chapter called “It Won’t Last” (can you guess what that is about?). After 221 pages of pure comedic and relationship genius, the book ends with “Dateablitiy”.

Now, I personally recommend this book for everyone: boys, girls, singles, takens, hipsters, preps, jocks, nerds etc. Everyone should at least consider, if not buy, the book. You may think it’s going to be a waste of time that will only try to tell you how to act in a relationship (when obviously you know everything about relationships (sarcasm)), but it does much more than that. It not only makes you dateable, it helps you to be a better person, control situations logically, and (as much as I loathe the Y.O.L.O epidemic that has swept the nation thanks to Drake – I have to admit that he does have a point) and the authors address that too. You do only live once, so why live this one life trying to be someone you’re not, obsessing over one guy or girl, and then being heartbroken because your boyfriend of two days (who you swear you love) just dumped you for the next best thing. I can’t say you will have the same experience that I had when reading this book, but that should make you more inclined to pick it up at Half-Price books or Barnes and Noble and find out what the book can offer to you.

“This has not been a philosophy book or a “what if” book. It has simply been the truth. It’s like saying the sky is blue- that’s the truth. Now it’s up to you to decide what it means to you…God cares more about who you are than who you date. You were made for success and for a purpose. You were made to complete your destiny. Pour yourself into that, and the dates and the Dateability will come naturally.” (Lookado and DiMarco).

And when you are done with Dateable, pick up Justin Lookado and Hayley DiMarco’s The Dateable Rules. A book that summarizes everything you have learned from Dateable and helps you put it into action in a convenient flip book, with one side for girls and another for boys.