Women are often given dating advice whether they ask for it or not. Some of it is good, and some not so good. Although it may be well intentioned, some pieces of popular dating advice are just better left forgotten.

1. Go for a guy with money and status.

“Marry a doctor, lawyer, or a pro football player.”

There are parts of our society that tells us a mans income and status are the most important thing to look for, and it’s bull. This is how women get a reputation for being gold diggers.

Having a man with a good job and high income can be a nice plus, but it it shouldn’t be the main thing about him to pursue.

2. Play hard to get.

While it’s true that men are magnets to women that are more of a challenge to get to, why should a woman “play” this part if it’s going to be fake anyway? You shouldn’t have to force this. Let it be real if you want him to chase you.

Don’t play hard to get. BE hard to get.

3. Sleep with the jerks, d-bags, bad boys to get them out of your system.

I would love to have a serious talk with anyone who thinks this is good advice. (Yes you, Sheryl Sandberg.)

When you sleep with low value guys who don’t treat you well, you are directly rewarding their bad behavior and reinforcing an excuse to keep it up. Instead, they need more of an incentive to straighten up and act right.

Ignore guys who aren’t worth your time and starting choosing better.

4. Follow your heart.

So many people think this is good advice, but the mistake that many women make is that when they only follow their heart, they completely lose their head.

When you lose your head, all your rational thinking is gone and you will likely make some foolish choices.

Don’t allow your emotions to be your only guide. You can follow your heart, but take your brain with you.

5. Marry in your early 20s…because your clock is ticking.

Women are encouraged to lock a man down as early as possible, because supposedly at 30 she becomes a saggy old woman with dried up ovaries that no one wants.

This is false.

While aging is a real process, this lame advice is being used as a scare tactic and it’s quite exaggerated.

6. Play dumb like a fox.

This piece of advice is by far the most laughable.

This is when a woman is basically told to lower herself in order to cater to his ego.

“Pretend like you can’t open the jar of pickles or change your own tire, even if you can. It makes him feel masculine and needed!”

What a sad relationship that would be. No. A good man will appreciate a smart and self sufficient woman.

7. Forget about him. He’s our of your league.

Too many women will underestimate their attractiveness and dating market value, so they miss out on great guys.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve decided not to bother because I believed someone was too cute or too good for me, only to later find out that he felt the same way about me.

You’ll never know what could have been if you don’t give it a shot.