Should I ask Russian women to send more pictures?

by Francis
(Canada)

I'm corresponding with a few beautiful Russian women. I often want to see more pictures because they either don't have enough pictures or they just have professionally taken pictures. I want to see some everyday pictures to really know how they look like everyday. So when I ask for more pictures, I don't always get them. If I do get them, they're not so clear or too small to see well. My biggest worry with the correspondence approach is to talk to someone for several weeks and then fly 7000km to realize I'm not physically attracted to her or I have no chemistry. That's why I want to see as many pictures as possible. My question is; Is it OK to really insist to see many pictures (10-20) of them? (of course not sexual pictures). If ask once and they send it, it's fine. But I have to ask more than once, it can become weird to ask them.

Bob's Answer:

Elena Petrova, owner/founder of Elena's Models, writes an eBook called "How To Find And Marry A Girl Like Me" (see http://www.womenrussia.com/book/) where she makes a strong argument for the Correspondence Approach (though she doesn't call it that). She points out the the biggest reason for a man's disappointment (i.e. lack of "chemistry") when meeting for the first time is woman's looks. And for the woman, it is the man's character/identity. Her suggestions: For the men, be honest about who you really are, and for the women, send MANY pictures.

And if a girl hasn't posted many good, clear pictures, or hasn't sent enough... YES, ASK FOR MORE, no matter how awkward it may be. After you've asked once and haven't received a satisfactory response, get serious. Tell her, "I'm sorry, but I have asked you for more pictures, and a few pictures of you in everyday life, but you haven't sent them. Is there a reason for that? Do you have something to hide?..." Pick your own words, but if she doesn't cooperate, she may either be hiding something, or she just isn't serious enough. But I agree... if you're going to go through the cost and trouble of that kind of trip to see ONE girl, she needs to be very forthcoming.

But here's another thought. I DID speak with my fiancee (later wife) on Skype video calls nearly every day for nearly four months before I first saw her in person, and by then there was simply no room to hide. And when I first wrote to her, SHE was the one who said, "I think the best way to get to know each other better is through Skype, WITH A WEBCAM, and you should be prepared to send MANY more pictures of yourself as I am prepared to do the same." That's what SHE said to me! And over the next four months, in addition to all the Skype webcam time, she did send me over 100 pictures, and almost none of them were studio shots.

One other short story to highlight the need for many "natural" pictures. While on my only group tour to Kiev me and another one of the guys double dated with two Ukrainian women. At one point my friend's date showed him a picture of a very beautiful young blonde woman. My friend proceeded to jam both feet into his mouth by asking, "Wow, she's beautiful! Is that your daughter?". The woman - who really wasn't very good looking - said, "No, that's me!".

Need I say more? Camera angles, lighting, and professional makeup can hide a LOT!