The Toxic Man

Blogger, Young Jubi from Black Girls Unlost, has composed a list of men to avoid.  Here you go:

The Player.

Yes I know its cliché, but it still holds true. “Monogamous” is a word that is not in his lexicon. He always has a team, and the best you can hope for is that it’s a b-ball squad instead of a football starting lineup. He is the quintessential ladies man, and sadly, you probably aren’t the woman to get him to settle down. When you first meet him, he’s charming & seems to know all the right things to say, and he’s probably putting it down in the bedroom too. But once you get comfy, you realize that you’re just one of many, and he isn’t about to change his lifestyle just for you. Make no mistake, he has no problem with you taking care of him in hopes of being his one & only, but with this guy, the “prize” is being his #1, not his only. Save yourself the heartache & the drama by steering clear of this guy.

The Victim.

Brandon posted on the ladies who are victims, but there are a lot of men who fit this definition too. Everything in life happens to him and taking responsibility for his actions is a foreign concept. Being broke, not holding onto a job or having a crappy one, not being happy with his life, and countless other things are always the fault of someone else, particularly The Man. In your relationship, he can’t take responsibility or make a decision either; he leaves it all up to you so when it doesn’t work out, the blame is squarely on your shoulders. This guy isn’t worth the frustration & negativity.

The Elitist.

We all know one of these guys, a snob to the 10th degree. You aren’t worth his time unless you went to the right school, got the right degree, pledged the right sorority, got the right job, shop in the right stores, and so on & so forth. Dating this guy means rubbing elbows with his peers who are equally snobby & stiff, probably at some boring wine & cheese or other event that the Black elite are attending now. He wouldn’t be caught dead in anything that could be mistaken as “common”. What’s funny is that most of these men are one or two generations removed from poverty, but let them tell it, they are a blue-blood through and through. Should you have the right pedigree and grooming to make it past his elaborate vetting process; you’ll be disappointed in what you get: a boring, judgmental man who is insecure in who he is. Not worth it, in my book.

The Club Guy.

He’s the guy dressed head-to-toe in designer labels, rocking probably knock-off designer shades in the club. He’s poppin bottles in the club every night, and you see him on indmix.com every week. He’s an attention whore that needs to see & be seen…which doesn’t leave too much time for a relationship. He’s spending all his time & money trying to floss with his boys, so those romantic dates are out of the question. Besides, do you really want your man to be in the club every night? I think not. Dance with him in the club, enjoy his VIP table & keep it moving.

The Two-Minute Brother.

I know what some of y’all were thinking and you should definitely avoid “that guy”, but I’m actually referring to that guy that is in a rush to be in a relationship. He wants your number in the first five minutes of conversation, he wants to be exclusive after the second date, and he wants to put a ring on it before three months has passed. Sure, it can seem like a whirl-wind romance & you’ve been swept off your feet & all that wonderful stuff…but then you ask yourself: what’s the rush? Why is he in such a hurry to lock me down? He could be the type of man who knows what he wants (and has found it in you)…OR he could have some ulterior motives. Love is grand, but rushing doesn’t help anyone, and if he’s not willing to slow down the pace, it could be a sign that he has abusive or co-dependent tendencies. Proceed with caution.

The Emotionally-Unavailable Guy.

This guy is harder to spot, and unfortunately, you really don’t know he’s this guy until after you’ve been in a relationship for a while. This guy never invests his heart in the relationship, and it manifests in his behavior. He’s detached from you, and seems cold and uncaring. When he talks or makes plans, it’s all about him, instead of about two of you as a couple. He may have had negative relationships with women from an early age (especially his mother) which continues to affect his behavior in your relationship. The only way he show any emotion is through sex, and after its over, he’s back to being cold and distant. It can be very difficult to deal with an emotionally distant or unavailable man, and you will have to do some soul-searching to figure out if you can sustain a relationship that is lacking emotionally. For many women, it becomes a source of contention within the relationship, and the breaking point. Walking away may be the best thing.

The No Time Guy.

This is the guy who thinks he can do it all: the career, the family, the friends, the extra stuff, and the relationship. Unfortunately, you’re the low man on the totem pole, and he puts everything else before you and your relationship. Once he’s done working, dealing with friends and family, attending fraternity meetings, and playing his intramural game, he barely has time to kiss you goodnight. You feel lucky if he’s able to swing by for a quickie once a week. In order to get on his schedule, you have to book him way in advance (think Robin Givens and Eddie Murphy in “Boomerang”, where she penciled him in three weeks in advance). He cancels at the last minute or doesn’t even show up, and you’re left wondering why you even put up with his foolishness. If a man isn’t willing to make time for you and the relationship, then he’s toxic and a waste of time.

The Mama’s Boy.

We’ve all been there and dated the mama’s boy. He can’t make a decision or even brush his teeth without consulting his mother. She is the first, last and only woman in his life. No woman will ever compare to mama, but he’s going to make you jump through hoops like you’re auditioning for the circus to see if you can come close to his mama’s greatness. You’ll be cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, entertaining his friends, walking his dog, and everything else, just to prove to him how great you are. But at the end of the day, it will be all for naught, cause mama won’t like you anyway. Taking care of your man is great, but do you really want to take care of a man who doesn’t know how to boil an egg or put his dirty clothes in the hamper? Unless your professional title is “servant”, skip the mama’s boy and find a man who doesn’t have such an unhealthy relationship with his mother

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