Honor Davis Marks is helping others navigate the unpredictable waters of modern dating with her online community
WORDS: JANEY SWANSON
I first encountered the modern dating world eight years ago when my husband and I divorced,” Honor Davis Marks says .
She very quickly discovered that dating had changed completely since she’d met her ex-husband in the late 1990s.
“Everything was online,” Honor, who’s from London but has lived in France for over 15 years, says.
“Before I got married, there were always opportunities to meet a potential new love interest when I met up with friends, went to a bar after work or even bumped into someone at the supermarket – but those days had gone. It was online dating or nothing.”
By chance, Honor spotted a photo of a man with two Pyrenean Mountain Dogs on an online dating site.
“I also had one of these beautiful dogs so we instantly had something in common and fell madly in love.
“Fast forward a few years and, unfortunately, we broke up.
“I was completely blind-sided but I’ve always made a point of surrounding myself with good friends and, with their support, I recovered from my broken heart.
“If you ever question yourself after a break-up, take a look at the wonderful women around you,” Honor adds. “If your friends are special, you must be special, too.”
Honor also received a lot of support from the friends she’d made through the women-only solo retreats she hosts at her gîtes in the South of France and her popular online community – Magical Midlife.
“Like me, these women are empowered and confident. We know our worth. We’re also not afraid to share our experiences, which helped me enormously.”
After a few months, Honor returned to online dating only to discover it had changed since her first foray – and not for the better. “Today’s online dating sites seem to encourage a throw-away attitude, with users simply swiping right or left without any thoughts about the people behind the photos they’re flicking through.
“And if someone does decide to send a message, they may disappear without any warning, sometimes in the middle of a conversation. ‘Ghosting’, as this is referred to, is so demoralising.
“There’s no respect in the online dating world. People can be incredibly rude, have disgusting habits, consider dodgy emojis a method of communication or arrange a date and then cancel ten minutes be
