Are You Dating A Knockoff Boyfriend? 14 Signs He’s Not The Real Deal

A knockoff boyfriend is a guy who seems to be the real deal but he’s actually fake AF, like a designer handbag that’s got some dodgy stitching when you take a closer look. Here are 14 ways to tell if you’re dating one of these losers.

  1. He love-bombs you. He meets you and acts like he’s known you for years. He sends you flowers, tells you how amazing you are, and makes you feel like he’s fallen in love from the beginning. Don’t fall too fast—it’s a clever way to manipulate you into liking him.
  2. He never lets you into his mind. He might shower you with attention, but he keeps his real thoughts and feelings away from you. You might think he’s just mysterious or the kind of guy who doesn’t say much, but in reality, he’s strategically avoiding you. He doesn’t want you to see what’s really going on underneath his charming exterior.
  3. He strings you along. He makes a lot of promises, like that once he’s over his ex you’ll be able to commit to each other properly. It’s his way of stringing you along but not actually committing to you. He’s totally faking it!
  4. He’s never there for the bad times. He’s always there when times are good, but when you need his help with something or you need a shoulder to cry on, he goes AWOL. If he can’t be there when things get real, he’s not a real boyfriend.
  5. He’s always drunk when you have sex. He should want to be intimate with you when he’s sober, not just when he’s out of it and doesn’t even really know what he’s doing. SMH. It’s not only lazy to have drunk sex all the time, but it shows that he’s not really making an effort in the relationship, making you feel special and loved.
  6. He’s never romantic. He might not be a romantic guy, but even the least romantic man will make you feel loved. That’s what romance is really about, after all. If he can’t even send you a confidence-boosting text when he knows you’re going to have a tough day at work, he doesn’t go the extra mile to show you he cares.
  7. He never notices when you’ve been crying. He always notices when you’re wearing a hot new little black dress that shows off your gorgeous legs, but when your eyes are red because you’ve been crying, he doesn’t. Ugh. He’s clearly only interested in paying attention when it suits him.
  8. He’s all about appearances. He wants to post gorgeous couple selfies on Facebook in which you both look deliriously happy, but behind closed doors he’s never affectionate or he’s emotionally distant.
  9. He makes you feel that something’s off. You can’t run from the feeling that something’s just not right with this guy and your relationship. It’s probably that you’re sensing how he’s holding himself out of reach or you’re sensing that the things he tells you just aren’t sincere.
  10. He doesn’t make it easy to trust him. You don’t usually have trust issues but around this guy, they come to life, multiply, and explode! He might say he’s committed to you but then fails to act like it, like when he flirts with other women or wants to spend loads of time with his friends instead of you.
  11. He says all the right things but his actions fall short. He tells you how beautiful and amazing you are. He tells you that you bring beauty into his life. He knows how to impress you with his words, but his actions just don’t match them. For example, he’ll tell you that he loves you so much, but then he’ll drag his heels when it comes to making the relationship official.
  12. He doesn’t really get to know you but acts like he does. He acts like he knows you so well and even tells your friends how he can pick up when you’re irritable. But that’s just his way to make you think that he knows you. The truth is, he never actually takes the time to know you in a big way. You can’t remember the last time he actually listened to your thoughts and feelings instead of just turning the spotlight onto himself as usual.
  13. He throws on the charm around others. He really lays his nice guy act on thick when you’re in public. He’ll try to be the friendliest, funniest, and most charming guy in the room. You can just feel how fake he’s being. Who says he’s not being that fake with you? It does make you wonder…
  14. He never talks about his relationship goals with you. You’re a couple and you’ve been dating for quite some time, but it’s like your couple future doesn’t exist. Sure, he might plan future dates with you and stuff, but he doesn’t speak about his relationship goals and dreams with you. It’s like you’re in this relationship stage forever, with no sign of progress. Hmm, seems he’s just sticking around because it’s convenient for him right now.
Giulia Simolo is a writer from Johannesburg, South Africa with a degree in English Language and Literature. She has been working as a journalist for more than a decade, writing for sites including AskMen, Native Interiors, and Live Eco. You can find out more about her on Facebook and LinkedIn, or follow her on Twitter @GiuliaSimolo.
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