My dating app photos almost ruined what could have been an amazing relationship.

Not for him—he was charming and understanding.

But for me?

It was one of the most mortifying first dates I've ever experienced.

I stared at my phone in frustration.

Another match had asked for a video call before meeting, and I'd just made up another excuse.

Between my full-time job,

my daughter's soccer practice,

helping with homework,

and barely finding time to shower

the last thing I had energy for

was explaining why I looked different

than my carefully filtered photos.

I'd spent nearly an hour

carefully selecting photos for my dating profile

all strategically angled,

perfectly filtered,

and edited to hide

the dark spots on my face,

underarms,

and inner thighs that appeared after pregnancy.

The conversation with Mark

had been flowing for weeks,

and when he finally asked

to meet for coffee, I was ecstatic.

But as I sat across from him,

I could see the momentary confusion in his eyes.

That split-second

where he was trying to reconcile

my profile pictures with the woman sitting in front of him.

He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. I knew.

While he talked about his job and asked about my daughter,

I was barely present,

mentally calculating

how soon I could politely end the date

and retreat back to the safety of text messages

where he couldn't see my uneven skin tone.

And that's when it got worse.

When he suggested we move

from the air-conditioned coffee shop

to continue our conversation

on a walk through the park,

panic set in.

My carefully applied makeup

was already creasing under my eyes

and fading around my mouth,

exposing those stubborn dark patches

I'd tried so hard to hide.

I wasn't just uncomfortable.

I was humiliated.

That day didn't just expose my skin.

It exposed just how much control those dark spots

had over my dating life.