Popularity?

The fake background.

This is very weird. 

Does this mean it's all about the picture, despite gender differences?  Or is it the opening line?

With this latest update, not only did I receive those two feedback extremes on the first day, I've also been practically inundated with contacts.  Ok, for a woman, receiving at least 20 messages a day from guys is normal.  For me, receiving 4 positive contacts in a day, as I did yesterday, is unheard of.  (And added as a favorite for someone from Ontario?  And today someone else in Scotland?)  Unheard of. 

What the hell am I doing right?  I'm confused.


The Words

These are the first lines of my profile, before I go into more detail about my values, hobbies, past, etc.:

Are you good enough? Am I good enough? That's what this all comes down to, of course.

I am smart, physically active, kind, self-assured and socially aware.

The person I want to be with is all of those things too. Not a clone of myself, but someone that shares my values. Someone who brings something into my life while at the same time I bring something to hers.

Sounds simple, doesn't it? ;)

It's more direct, humourless and simple than I typically have written in the past.

It definitely exhibits one of my more egotistical trains of thought.
 

The Images

The two pictures I posted were fairly deliberated crafted, as all of my profile pictures are. This is the first time that I used some of the lighting ideas from my photography research in addition to staging, however. I found a picture of Leonardo DiCaprio in Men's Health magazine, and tried to copy the lighting and general gaze. I used a couple of halogen lamps, covered the flash on the camera, picked a similar t-shirt and jacket, and went to it. 40 pictures later I decided what I had was close enough.
 
At that moment I looked down and saw my favorite shirt, one on which the neck is too small, but otherwise fits me well, and I said to myself, "I'll just try a couple with it." I changed, and whipped off a few more shots, none really thought out.
 
I picked out one picture from each set, and then spent the morning (yes, the entire morning) on Photoshop.  I fiddled with tone, contrast, and expanded my PS knowledge with the help of Google.
 
The Boring Details
For the one that ended up as my main profile picture, from the "last-minute" set, I reduced the puffiness under one eye and fixed my gaze as the original made me look like I was cross-eyed - one eye staring into the camera, the other off into the distance.  I took the colour out, and cropped it. 
 
For the other, more posed image, I found a picture of the great outdoors that I liked, and patiently integrated my warm bedroom self into the cold snowy scene.  Two days later I still sit and wonder if it dawns on anyone looking at it that it's a fake.  Not that it's that good, but because to me it seems borderline obvious.
 
It was such a narcissistic process that I was embarrassed by it, and I'm embarrassed by it now, but I suppose it's just a more hands-on version of hiring a professional to get your image.  At least that's what I'm trying to convince myself of.



The Result 

The mental gymnastics don't stop there.
 
Now, suddenly, I have plunked myself into the situation where I don't wish to be rude to anyone that I'm not interested in, but it will take some effort to keep up with the correspondence.  And yes, I know it's a good problem to have, especially with how disconnected and undesirable I usually feel.  But I'm no more comfortable with a taste of success than I am with my normal lonely hesitations.
 
I guess I'm never content.  And the "ya whatever" message (bleeeech) still bothers me, even though I know that it shouldn't... but at least I'm getting noticed?  I'm starting to feel bipolar.
 
Sigh.