Yesterday, the radio DJ was criticizing Nick Lachey for dating a brunette Jessica Simpson look-alike. This prompted a call-in session for listeners to confess whether or not they repeatedly choose the same type of person.
In lieu of Groundhog Day I started thinking. Are we doomed to repeat the same relationship over and over again until we get it right? Is every new relationship a chance to fix the problems of the previous union until all the variables fall into place?
There was that one Friend’s episode where Rachel dated a guy that looked so much like Ross it could have been a case of mistaken identity. And then an episode of Will and Grace that utilized the same plotline for Will. If art imitates life then maybe we are just having the same relationship over and over again.
But then I can’t help but wonder about someone like Brad Pitt who went from Jennifer Aniston to Angelina Jolie. From what I can tell, those two women are as polar opposite as one can get. So, perhaps if there is a distinct pattern it can be broken and a new one began.
According to Andrea Lavinthal, co-author of The Hookup Handbook: A Single Girl’s Guide to Living it Up, “you should definitely date as many different types as you can to get a good sense of what’s out there and to weed out the kind of people you don’t like. At this point, dating is more about you than it is about the other person.”
So, there you have it: Go forth and plunder.