A young single woman embarks on 50 first dates in the hopes of finding “the one” and discovering where she was going wrong in her love life.
Hannah Zaslawski moved from Sydney to London in April 2022 and last year, at the age of 30, she began documenting herself preparing for every appointment and reporting on TikTok.
Depending on your work schedule, you will have up to two appointments a week, but sometimes you don’t have any.
She dates both men and women and has so far been on 34 dates ranging from cozy pub hangouts to more cultured adventures in museums and galleries.
A young single woman challenged herself to go on 50 first dates in the hope of finding “the one” and discovering where she was going wrong in her love life.
Last year, a 30-year-old woman began documenting herself getting ready for each date and shared how it went on TikTok.
While she doesn’t have a particular “type,” Hannah is looking for someone who is down to earth, humble, and driven.
“If we have the same morals and values, then those would be my non-negotiables: what we want out of life,” he said.
On date 34 earlier this month, Hannah’s first date of the year, her mother chose the date after going through a dating app.
Hannah met the man for a drink in a pub even though he had his wisdom teeth removed a few days earlier and they were “complete opposites”.
While secretly recording in the bathroom mid-date, she said, “He’s lovely.” We are very different people. He is very regimented and loves routine and I am a little spread out with everything in my life. But maybe he’s what I need.
Despite the wishful thinking, at the end of the date, Hannah admitted that she thought he was looking for someone who “had his life a little more together.”
“We both said at the same time ‘get home safely,’ and neither of us made any reference to seeing the other again,” he said.
Hannah told FEMAIL that she meets 70 per cent of her dates through dating apps, but sometimes she also meets people through real-life interactions. When it comes to her ‘dating rules’, Hannah said there are no rules
On another date, she went to a man’s house for drinks and was surprised to see that he had nothing in his refrigerator but “a jar of olives and half a bottle of rose.”
“You can’t even make a cup of tea,” he laughed.
A drunken Hannah stormed out on another date after he kept “insulting her” and saying she “wasn’t being herself.”
They have also planted it on more than one occasion, including once in Florence.
For the most part, though, he said the experience has been “fun” and that most of the people he’s met have been “lovely.”
“Even if a date didn’t go so well, they were all good people that I had a good time with,” Hannah said.
“It encourages me not to hold on to things for too long: if I have a great quote but it doesn’t go anywhere, I can chalk it up to a great quote and move on.”
Dating can also be exhausting and expensive. Hannah calculated that on average she spends between £30 and £40 ($58-78 AUD)
Hannah told FEMAIL that she meets 70 per cent of her dates through dating apps, but sometimes she also meets people through real-life interactions.
When it comes to her “dating rules,” Hannah said there aren’t any.
‘I’ve definitely gotten better at setting my own boundaries. As a people pleaser, it can sometimes be difficult to say no or speak up for myself. But this series has really helped me be able to speak for myself,” she said.
Dating can also be exhausting and expensive. Hannah estimated that, on average, she spends between £30 and £40 ($58-78 AUD) per appointment.
“I estimated it costs around £1,225 ($2,390) so far, it’s expensive trying to find love,” she said.
‘Dating burnout is a real thing. I believe that dating should be a fun and enjoyable experience, and if it ever feels like a chore or a monotonous task, then I think it’s important to take a break and focus on yourself, until you feel ready to date again.
“But your self-love is always more important than your desire to be loved.”
But the process has made her realize that she is not alone.
“It’s built up this amazing community of women (online) who are experiencing the same thing, it’s made me realize that it’s not really that I’m doing anything wrong, it’s more that I haven’t gotten to know anyone well,” she said.
Hannah says it helped boost her self-confidence, reminding her not to “settle for people” and taught her what she wants in a partner.
“It started out as a fun thing, just to give my friends back home an update on my dating life,” she said.
“I had been talking about doing 50 first dates for a while and my friend encouraged me to do it.”
Hannah hopes to not complete the first 50 dates before meeting the love of her life and stopping her challenge.
“There is no deadline to complete 50 dates; to be honest, I hope not to reach 50,” she said.
“If I make it to 50, I’ll probably be the red flag at that point.”