No-Nonsense Dating Advice for Women in 2025 and Beyond

Should you respond to a guy who ghosts you? How long should you wait for a date invitation? Is he really a good guy or just putting on a show? Does he turn into a different person when he’s been drinking? Why should you watch the way he treats his mom and sisters? Get answers and no-nonsense dating advice for women below.

When I first wrote Let Him Chase You, a book of dating advice for women, my goal was to teach women of all ages how to be more confident when they are dating men and to let the man do the pursuing. In most cases, chasing a man as a woman (especially if he doesn’t show the same interest) is a clear sign of desperation. I believe that when you choose to date, you should let the man demonstrate his interest and desire to get to know you.

Today, I realize that Let Him Chase You is mostly a manual that encourages basic self-esteem in women, advising them on what they simply should not put up with if they choose to date men. I also recognize that women should not always blame themselves for the dating fails that they experience because the truth of the matter is that there aren’t a whole lot of great men to choose from in the dating pool.

Like many authors interested in matters of love and relationships, I avidly monitor social media to listen in to what women of all ages are saying about dating in the modern world. Based on the countless dating stories I’ve read, check out this essential no-nonsense dating advice for women in 2025 and beyond.

The Ghosting Rules

One of the ongoing themes that I have noticed in dating stories from women is that the men often “ghost” them suddenly and unexpectedly. Ghosting is when someone disappears from the chat after days, weeks or even months of consistent contact. It causes women to question themselves and wonder if they have done something wrong. The truth is that you (the woman) have done nothing wrong at all.

Here are the three top reasons why a man will ghost you out of the blue:

1. He is experiencing a major life change, event, or trauma that has taken his attention.
2. He has met someone else and is giving that person all of his attention now.
3. He is playing games with you or testing you to see how desperate you are for his attention.

The first reason is understandable, but the other two are unacceptable. In fact, they are disrespectful.

My dating advice for women in this scenario: if a man switches from contacting you every day to not contacting you for an extended period of time without a reasonable explanation, that’s a major red flag. I believe a good rule of thumb is that if you don’t hear from him after about 48-72 hours, it’s probably a wrap and you should mentally move on. Staying stuck on a man who has ghosted you is not good for your self-esteem and the energy of desperation will begin to creep in.

Move on. Period. And there’s no need for a back and forth conversation because the ghosting will likely happen again and again.

Let Him Chase You. We make entirely too many excuses for the behaviors of men when dating and in relationships. If he’s really interested, he will go out of his way to stay in touch with you no matter what is going on in his life.

Dating Advice for Women: How Long Should You Wait for an Actual Date Invitation?

When asking for dating advice, women often want to know how long they should wait to be asked on an actual in-person date.

In the past, a man would ask a woman out on a date at the first meeting. But now due to the popularity of online dating sites, you could be chatting back and forth with someone for days or even weeks without ever having plans to meet up again.

If I were asked how long a woman should wait for a date invitation when they are interested in a serious relationship, I would say up to a week. After that, it’s unlikely that the guy intends to get to know you beyond a bit of banter every now and again.

Is He Just Putting on a Show?

If there is one thing that I’ve learned about men it is that they are logical creatures. They will get information and adjust accordingly to meet their immediate needs. As my mother used to tell me, “they are always on their best behavior” in the beginning.

Nowadays, women are choosing singlehood more and more due to poor behavior from potential dating matches. There are some men who will take this information and decide to put on a temporary façade for women. They will make every effort to be the type of man she says she needs. But once the woman is hooked and comfortable, the man reverts back to his usual self and begins to mistreat her.

If you need an example of this, watch this video where actor Nick Cannon proudly admits that he puts on his best behavior for a woman just so that he can get her into bed. Then once he has conquered her, he begins treating her like crap (his normal behavior). This man has caused over 10 women to be pregnant and alone with his babies using this method.

Please don’t fall for it. Use your discernment and trust yourself. There are always signs that you should pay attention to closely when you’re dating someone new.

Here is a bit of invaluable dating advice for women to hold onto: always listen to your intuition.

Just because a man is on his best behavior in the beginning doesn’t mean that you should begin to blindly trust his intentions. Keep men more than an arm’s length away in the early dating stages and avoid commitment until you have a thorough and true impression of who you’re really dealing with.

Recognize Weaponized Incompetence Early

Many women who have left long-term relationships and marriages will tell you that they left because of a series of small things that built up over time. One of those seemingly small issues is “weaponized incompetence.”

Weaponized incompetence is when a man purposely pretends to be unable to complete a task successfully as a way to get the woman he’s dating complete the task instead. In the future, his hope is that the woman won’t ever ask him to complete the task again!

For instance, you might ask a man to wash the dishes. He barely scrapes the crust off of the plates and leaves the dishes sitting haphazardly all over the counter. He might even go the extra mile and break a dish. That’s his non-verbal way of saying “Don’t ever ask me to do the dishes again, I don’t want to do this. You do it.”

Examples of Weaponized Incompetence When Dating

In early dating, weaponized incompetence shows up as failing to plan dates, planning dates poorly, claiming to have forgotten his wallet when the check comes, asking you to fix his day-to-day life issues, or leaving his living area messy when you visit so that you can clean up after him. It is anything that relieves him of responsibility while putting all of the work on you. It’s a man’s way of training you to do his bidding so that he can have an easier life.

In my book of dating advice for women, I gave this example: the man you’re dating accidentally drops something on the floor and you rush to pick it up. Don’t do that. Let him pick it up himself. He’s got it.

Unless you want to be taking care of a baby-man in the future who is fine with you doing all of the work, bow out at the first signs of weaponized incompetence in a man.

Pay Attention to How He Behaves When Drinking

They say a drunk mouth tells no lies. Well, a drunk man’s behavior and disposition doesn’t tell any lies either!

Ideally, you won’t date a man who drinks excessively or at all, but if you ever find yourself on a date or social event where he has had a few or more, make sure that you pay attention to how he behaves with you and around others. If he becomes angry, belligerent or offensive, this is revealing his true nature. If you ever get into an argument (whether drunk or not), that angry person will appear every time.

But if he remains cool, calm, collected and humorous, even after having a few drinks at a gathering, that could be a positive sign that he is a balanced individual worth pursuing a relationship with.

Observe How He Treats His Mothers and Sisters

One piece of dating advice for women that I have emphasized consistently over the years is to evaluate a male dating partner by how he treats his mother and sisters. This is possibly the best indication of how a man will treat you in a serious relationship. The way that a man treats his woman relatives is reflective of how he treats all women.

If he demonstrates hatred and contempt for his mother and sisters, that will be YOU soon enough. If he shows sincere love, care, attention and support for the women in his family, that’s a green flag. It is a representation of how he will likely treat you in the future.

Prioritize Your Peace First

Some women are so afraid of being alone that they settle and make sacrifices just to have a man around. But nothing, and I mean nothing, is more important than your peace.

As someone who had the misfortune of being in an abusive relationship at one point, I can tell you firsthand the high value of peace in your life and home. The last thing that you want to do is overlook multiple red flags while dating as a woman just so that you can have a man in your life, only to end up in an abusive or dysfunctional relationship that you can’t escape.

Always prioritize your peace when you are making decisions about who you should allow into your life. This simple bit of advice for women applies to your relationships with family, friends, associates and acquaintances as well.

Remember this no-nonsense dating advice for women if you are still open to finding your person in 2025 and beyond. For the basics of dating successfully as a woman of any age and to get your mind right, listen to my best-selling audiobook Let Him Chase You at Audible or Spotify (free for Premium users).

Lynn Gilliard is the author of a popular relationship guide entitled Let Him Chase YOU. Her latest book Sing While You're Single offers advice to women who want to remain single for the time being while still maintaining their belief in the power and possibility of love.







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