Dating today is a hellscape. As an adult, many find it hard to meet new people, and our wrists are at risk of getting carpal tunnel if we keep swiping for love matches that can often end up feeling like a waste of time. Besides, Tinder, Grindr, Bumble, and the whole squad of apps seem to have lost their je ne sais quoi — and our girl, 27-year-old Emily Zgoda, could relate.
During her most recent birthday party, Emily's roommate decorated their apartment with photos of their favorite memories and, while staring at a picture of herself, Emily was hit with an idea: Why not use her personality pics as a sort of business card — or dating resume, if you will — to find a boyfriend?
Inspired, Emily grabbed a sharpie and her favorite photos before hand-writing her hobbies, skills, simple pleasures, and other fun prompts on the back of each. Then, equipped with the icebreaker, she began searching for a "target," aka a cutie.
Videos of Emily passing out cards to unsuspecting but often incredibly honored guys have gone massively viral online. The third installation in her series-slash-search reached over 4 million viewers, and every other part amassed hundreds of thousands to millions more. Now, with 12 resumes out on the streets, people are rooting for Emily's success...
...while also cheering on her boldness.
Followers just NEED to know how it ends and who it may end with.
They even have favorite contenders:
To discuss strategy, BuzzFeed reached out to Emily, who routinely picks very promising locations, like the meat section at Costco...
...outside the men's bathroom at sporting events...
...Trader Joe's...
...the car wash (even though her car was pristine)...
...Home Depot (where, can confirm, she found an absolute zaddy with a dalmatian)...
...and at a rock climbing center.
"I have gone on a few Hinge dates here and there, [and] most of them have been with great guys, just not MY guy," Emily told BuzzFeed. "It’s a harsh reality that some of our generation relies on dating apps instead of meeting organically, and I have always had hopes of meeting someone in person. I figured this would be a good strategy to cut to the chase and meet someone in the wild."
For the most part, she says, the guys have been receptive, or at least flattered. "I definitely receive mixed responses, but most of the time they are so caught off guard that it's a great icebreaker," Emily continued. "In one particularly funny handout, as I was handing a guy the card, his Apple Watch buzzed with a text from 'Cutie GF.' Welp."
Ya win some, ya lose some.
Though most of the men have followed up with a text, one guy has secured a date: Costco man.
"One date in the works is getting dollar dogs with Costco mans," Emily shared. "Updates to come."
We shall be waiting!
For those who may be interested in doing the same, one thing of note about Emily's photos is that they're often candid and more than a bit silly. "Out of all the prints, I choose the photos of me with the most personality," she said. "My friends would describe me as energetic and goofy, so I want to showcase the ones that reflect my true personality."
If you're going to go man-hunting, you may as well let them know what they're in for!