Nothing can be quite as thrilling and nerve-wracking as a first date. But for one woman, it was downright awkward.
Melinda, a TikToker known as @shelovesheranimals, recently shared a story about one such date that quickly turned into a viral moment, all thanks to a blunt comment made by the man she went out with.
In a now-viral video posted on November 11, Melinda shared her disbelief over the first words her date said to her.
Highlights
- Melinda's date gained viral attention after a rude comment about her gray hair.
- Her video of the awkward date was viewed over 1.5 million times.
- She also revealed on social media that she had been alone for 8 years and was stepping back into the dating scene.
- Her viral video sparked an outpouring of support from social media users, who criticized the man’s insensitivity and praised Melinda’s appearance.
TikToker Melinda shared her awkward first date experience in a video that now has over 1.5 million views
Image credits: shelovesheranimals
Image credits: shelovesheranimals
The video, which has racked up over 1.5 million views, showed the TikToker dressed in a stylish outfit she had carefully chosen for the date.
Sadly, her excitement about re-entering the dating world quickly took a hit when her date opened his mouth.
"Wow, you do have a lot of gray hair,” he apparently said.
Melinda was initially confident about the date outfit she picked out and playfully called it "super cute." But her enthusiasm was short-lived, thanks to her date's less than flattering words.
She revealed on social media that she had been alone for 8 years and was stepping back into the dating scene
Image credits: shelovesheranimals
Image credits: cottonbro studio/Pexels (Not the actual photo)
“Why was that the first thing he said 😭😭😭 #datinginyour30s #grayhairdontcare,” she wrote in the caption of her video.
“I went on a date today wearing this. Super cute, right? Do you know what the first thing he said to me was? Wow, you do have a lot of gray hair. I looked really cute,” a disheartened Melinda said in the clip.
Her decision to dive back into the dating scene wasn’t just about finding love—it was also a personal journey of healing after her mother’s death.
After years of being single, she tried to embrace both her natural beauty and the opportunity for a fresh start, motivated in part by her late mother’s wish to see her happy in a relationship.
The content creator revealed that the first thing her date said to her was about her gray hair
Image credits: cottonbro studio/Pexels (Not an actual photo)
Image credits: shelovesheranimals
"I'm growing out my gray hair, and I have started getting into dating after many years of being single," she told Newsweek.
"My mom recently passed away and she always wanted to see me happy in a relationship; I think that is part of my motivation in dating now,” she went on to say.
The disappointed woman said she had spoken to her date about her gray hair prior to meeting him.
"I had told him ahead of time I was growing out my grays, but I was shocked it was the first thing mentioned," she told the outlet.
Despite the sting of the man’s comment, Melinda found solace in the overwhelming support from strangers online.
Social media users rallied to her side and called out her date’s insensitivity.
The viral video sparked an outpouring of support from social media users, who criticized the man’s insensitivity and praised Melinda’s appearance
Image credits: shelovesheranimals
Image credits: shelovesheranimals
“Consider yourself lucky that he showed you who he was immediately,” one user wrote, while another added, “so nice of him to volunteer the red flag as soon as he opened his mouth. that being said, love the Whole look! I'd be tongue tied if I met you irl.”
Several praised Melinda’s look and unanimously agreed on one thing: the man didn’t deserve her.
“You look very cute. And it was generous of him to share a 🚩 straight out of the gate. Next,” one said.
“You dodged a bullet,” another person noted. “if the first thing he pointed out was a negative thing in his eyes, he'll never have anything good to say to you to make you feel good about yourself.”
“You're beautiful and as always men can't exist without being a nuisance,” read another compliment.
Despite the awkwardness, Melinda embraced the experience and had fun with the viral video
“You look beautiful. You dodged a bullet, he doesn’t deserve you,” another agreed.
“How polite of him disqualifying himself in a single sentence. Such respect for your time!” one said.
The overwhelming supported assured Melinda that she wasn’t being “overly sensitive.”
"It was relieving to know so many other people also found it rude or odd and that I wasn't being overly sensitive," she said.
On having a viral video that racked up over a million views, she said: "I've gotten such a kick out of the response to the video about my bad date! It was a fun experience to have a viral video. I'm just glad it was one I looked good for.”
Melinda reflected on the challenges of modern dating and joked about it being "exhausting"
She later posted a series of videos in connection to her love life and said dating in 2024 is “exhausting.” She also noted in a video that she has spent the last “8 years alone.”
In another video referencing her viral gray hair moment, she wrote: “I never knew so many men would be mad about gray hair til my video went viral lol #grayhairdontcare #datinginyour30s."
She even posted another video wearing the same first-date outfit she wore in her viral clip.
“Everyone has a story,” said the video’s audio. “Everyone has been through something that has changed them. So never judge a person by the chapter you walked in on.”
The date was slammed for his "red flag" remark, with one social media user saying, “He can go eat a moldy sponge”
