What comes to mind when you think of Finnish girls? Blonde beauties? Saunas? Long nights by the fire? Yes, pretty much every guy on Earth (except those who actually know Finnish girls) has that idea.
Sorry to burst your bubble, but real life Finnish girls are not (always) as your mind paints them. This doesn’t mean they’re not spectacular or special, on the contrary!
Today, I am here to give you a quick 101 about Finnish girls in today’s article and what to expect when dating women in Finland.
Because Finland consistently ranks as the happiest country in the world and it is also one of the most egalitarian, you must leave your pick-up lines at the airport and come with a fresh, modern strategy. Let’s learn everything about it (and more) below!
The Core of Nordic Culture: Gender Equality and Independence
If you have any experience dating Swedish women, girls from Norway or basically any Nordic country, you already have the basics covered when it comes to understanding the dating culture in Finland. If you don’t, I recommend reading my comparison of Scandinavian women by country here – you’ll find it really interesting, I promise!
If you have no experience dating in the region, you should know that Finland is famous for being incredibly egalitarian
Women here don’t need men for financial stability and are rarely impressed by flashy gestures or fancy/expensive clothes, vehicles or items.
Dating here revolves entirely around mutual desire and no traditional provider or caregiver dynamics exist.
A Finnish woman chooses to spend time with you because she actually enjoys your company – which might make it a bit more difficult to find a partner here than in other countries where being a foreigner automatically gives you an advantage.
Fortunately, the fierce independence of the ladies here also means that they’re more open to more casual flings and this balances things out overall.
Girls in Finland Have Their Own Style
I hope you did not expect a parade of high heels and cocktail dresses in Finland! That is not what you are going to get. Finnish women are, in fact, much lower maintenance than some guys I have met. And you can only be happy about that.
This also means that you shouldn’t expect them to look like they came fresh out of a Scandinavian street style magazine. Hipster-y attire and bold haircuts are not the norm.
In fact, they are pretty rare, although nobody is surprised to see a girl wear her hair in a weird way or dye it a funky color either. Just that it doesn’t really happen that often.
Finnish women are very casual about appearance. It is a friendly place, no matter how you look (more on that a little later).
You see a lot more people with visible tattoos and piercings as it is less of a stigma than it is in other countries.
For the most part, though, it is warm jackets and bundling up in huge scarves. Let’s not forget exactly how far up North Finland is (and it’s really cold!)
The niceness of your hair extensions and how glossy your lip gloss is suddenly less important when it is that cold. And when you’re that beautiful naturally.
Finnish Girls Are Open to Dating Foreigners
While being a foreigner – no matter where you come from – doesn’t give you an immediate advantage, it doesn’t mean that you get minus points for that alone.
This is just another upside of Finnish women being so open-minded is they are happy to date a person from a different culture, a different religion, or a different race.
Brown and black men might even have an advantage in Finland since they’re still somewhat novel and exotic there in a nation of very tall and very blonde people. And exotic is always good.
That being said, there is a growing community of African and Arabian immigrants. So far the country has been doing well, dealing with the racial tensions. Finns have managed to stay remarkably open and accommodating.
You can’t be sure how things will look like in a couple of years, though. For one, other races will definitely stop being so novel. Take advantage while you can!
They Are Trusting and Down to Earth
This one is not just for the women. Finnish people – both the men, as well as the women, in general, are very sweet, very polite, and sometimes a little gullible. As a guy in Finland, that means women will not have an issue coming back to your place.
That is absolutely not the case in other parts of the world. But it isn’t just the physical, either.
In all aspects of life, Finns are super friendly. Most Finnish girls, even those who look like future Victoria Secret models, are easy to approach and will not cut your day game in Helsinki off. I have found this to be incredibly refreshing compared to the heavily guarded dating scenes in other parts of the world.
However:
You Might Have Trouble Establishing A Deeper Connection
Chatting up girls on the street might be fun, but how do you get to a date (or a relationship)? It might be trickier than you think.
As friendly and approachable as Finnish women are at first, getting them to give you their number or commit to a date is a whole different story. Why?
Well, they are not exactly upfront about their opinion of you. She might be all smiles when you guys first meet but that does not promise anything.
Just a side note here, that is the general rule for all girls (and all human beings, for that matter).
Being nice does not entitle you to everything. But my point about Finnish girls is different.
They can be… flaky. They might lead you on out of politeness. A typical mindset towards day game is ‘Well, it took him a lot of courage to come up to me, I can’t be a jerk.’
See how that doesn’t mean she is interested? Exactly my point. So how do you escape that? The answer is surprisingly obvious.
The Uncomfortable Truth about Chatting Up Girls
This is something I have always wanted to say and in the context of Finnish women, it is 100% true.
Getting someone to talk to you and be nice to you is no guarantee of success. Well, maybe excluding incredibly religious nations where this would be disrespectful.
A bit of flash psychology that you already know of. People smile when they are nervous. People make jokes when they are nervous.
People (and women in particular) hate confrontation. There are very few Finnish girls that would be nice and clear about their lack of interest.
So really, when you are spending your day chatting girls up it is mostly going to be you getting:
- Fake names
- Fake phone numbers
- “Yeah, maybe I will add you on Instagram”
And other unproductive stuff like that. I highly recommend dropping the street approach entirely.
Where to Actually Meet Finish Women: Dating Apps and Nightlife
Or, in other words, you need a social lubricant. At the end of the day, we are all desperate for attention.
The single easiest way to meet Finnish women is at clubs and bars, if you’re already there. Here is where the open-mindedness is in full swing. There is just something about that ethanol.
Bear in mind that drinks are pricey in Finland, as is the case of the cost of living in Finland as a whole (which may be a good thing or else a lot more people would have alcohol problems here) so getting girls… could also get pricey?
Your other option is dating sites and apps. Apps like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and Valo are incredibly popular right now.
Old school dating websites can also work really well, especially because many people ignore them. Less competition equals better chances for you and there are still hundreds of active profiles there, all looking for relationships.
I personally love using online dating when I am traveling: it’s the fastest and easiest way to meet people and it also makes potential rejections easier to handle.
It is a breath of fresh air. New people, and an entirely new dating culture for you to explore.
No, but as reserved as Finnish girls might be in real life, they get down to business real quick online.
One-night stands are the norm for both online dating and nightlife-related hook-ups.
Safety comes first and Finnish education apparently did a great job here. Which brings me to the last important question people have:
Are They Really That Promiscuous?
I have a problem with this statement on many levels. It’s illogical, for starters. I mean, who are you comparing Finnish girls to? If it is women who stay celibate until marriage then of course and by a lot.
But I am assuming (based on that little fantasy everyone has about Finnish women) that you yourself are not waiting until marriage. You want to do the wild thing now, right?
Fine, well, so do women in Finland. Women in Finland own their sexuality. They do not face the same societal stigmas found in more conservative countries.
Because men and women are equal here, they approach physical intimacy with the same agency as men.
The cool thing about them is even if they don’t sleep around, they will not:
- Judge and gossip about girls who do
- Shame you for not seeking a long-term relationship
- Be backward when it comes to intimacy or lack knowledge (out of some ‘moral reasons’)
Relationships Are Tricky, Though
When are they not?
Finnish women are gorgeous, down to Earth, and very open-minded. They are not always wifey material, though.
Finns marry older and tend to prioritize their careers. The strong Finnish welfare system supports this modern timeline.
Generous parental leave and subsidized childcare mean women can balance ambitious careers with family life on their own terms.
It takes time to get them to commit. She will politely inform you if her goals do not align with yours.
You cannot be mad at that honesty. You are dealing with highly independent partners who know exactly what they want out of life.
Wrapping up
The cool thing about Finland’s young people – including the girls, since this is what we’re talking about today, is they are not full of themselves.
They realize they have more growing up to do. This is particularly true for the girls (who are more in touch with themselves then guys will ever be).
It’s not easy to get them to commit. And she will be painfully nice when she informs you of that. You can’t be mad at that. And it is a bit frustrating. On the upside, open-mindedness, and super nice women.
I’m sure you will survive. And even thrive.
And if you have your own experiences to share dating Finnish women, let us all know in the comments down below.
So after chatting with many Finnish women online and doing research it’s too my impression the whole cold and feminist vibes you describe Norwegian women with also exists in Finland. In fact I’d day Norwegian women dress and appear more feminine than their Eastern counterparts.
With that said; how would you compare Norwegian and Finnish women?
In all honesty it seems Finnish men relinquish their power and dominance to their women. Which is why they behave the way they do. I also did some historical research and apparently even back in the day it was very common for women to run the household.
Though I’m quite ignorant still. Would you say true femininity (like Eastern european) is hard to find in Nordic countries?
PS. Lots of goth, piercing and bohemian chicks in Finland too. Also much more out of shape in contrast to the rest of the north. But I feel they’re the most down to earth. Oh and do you have an email?
Thanks for writing these!
I think that yes, comparing Eastern European girls and Scandinavian girls is not something you should do. Generally, two completely different types of girls – from mentality to behavior and everything else. You can still find very feminine girls in Finland and throughout Scandinavia, but they are generally more independent. This means Goth chicks or ladies who take matters into their own hands and everything in between. Not necessarily a bad thing as they’re ideal for short term flings, if that’s what you’re looking for.
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