Relationship advice blogger Dami Olonisakin asked her female Twitter followers to ask out their crushes by text message and send a screenshot of the results. Some of her followers were successful, others were not.
Fayola Purcell, one of the women who texted her crush, was lucky. “Hey, wanna go on a date with me? Me, you and food,” she asked. “I’d like that a lot,” her crush wrote back. Fayola asked: “Lol, the food part?” to which he replied: “The you part.”
But other people had very different responses including: “Could we skip straight to the banging?”, with another reacting with a straight to the point: “No, thank you.”
These days, showing people we’re romantically interested in them can be as simple as swiping right. But it’s easy to get lost in endless online conversations, Twitter DMs, and Whatsapping. So how do you take it further and ask someone out on a real life date? We took to the streets to ask people for their tips on securing a date with their crush.
Solea Coquin, 17, student, Paris
I’ve asked out one guy. I had a crush on him for a year. I asked him if we could date, but he just said no. I replied by asking, ‘Can we just stay friends?’, and then I walked away. I was so nervous. I don’t want to ask someone directly again, it should be more natural. You just have to chill out and ask for a drink or something.
Ramzi Yakob, 33, product development, Bromley
I asked my wife out on a date. I met her on holiday in Amsterdam. When I got back I called her and said I would visit her where she lived in Newcastle. I booked a hotel and went to see her. If it’s easy, it’s probably no good. You need to put in some effort, make it feel more real than swiping right on Tinder.
Steve West, 62, hairdresser, Los Angeles
The most memorable time was when I went up to someone and said: ‘You’re pretty wild.’ I pulled up next to him in my car and said: ‘You’re amazing and I’d like to get amazing with you.’ I just say go for it. You have nothing to lose.
Shanaz Barnes, 28, marketing, London
I’ve asked people on dates loads. If I see something I like, I go for it. Straightforward. Be direct. Be assertive. Be confident.
Sasha Felix, 24, personal assistant, London
I’ve asked quite a few people out. And it goes well. Go in strong and be confident. People should make phone calls. People can’t say no to a phone call. I say I’m already doing something and then ask them if they want to come, too. Then, if you get knocked back, they think you’ve got plans anyway. It works.
Raj Ahmed, 37, electrician, Romford
I’d go straight up to them in the street, be direct. Start talking to them. I haven’t had any success rate with that approach, though, and would not really do that! I have had success in bars. When people turn up at a bar, they want a social drink, so, if you give them a smile and if they smile back, you know. I’ve succeeded with that a few times.
- This article was amended on Wednesday 1 November to remove some personal information.
