By Stamatina Notaras
For some, the day is anticipated; for others, it’s nothing special. While the movies depict singles swooning over secret love admissions, grand gestures, and surprise deliveries of bold, bigger-than-my-head bouquets of red roses come Valentine’s Day, reality suggests it’s quite the opposite.
But as the cynics continue their mission to boycott the day altogether, remain steadfast in the pursuit of love and remember, “If you look for it… you’ll find that love actually is all around.”
In today’s age, where meeting your partner IRL (in real life) is dubbed ‘old school,’ ghosting is the new norm, and “because they ran for the bus” is a viable excuse to say ‘see ya later,’ consider yourself a trooper if you put yourself out there at all – let alone broadcast it on TikTok for all to see.
A self-confessed lover girl (her words), and dating expert (mine), Sophia Amarandos is on her very own Bridget Jones-esque quest to find love, no matter how many glasses of wine, awkward dinners, or “What do you do for fun?” it takes.
Sophia’s TikTok mini-series has two main origins: First, she used to have a dating podcast, and is therefore dipping her toe back in. Second, after a viral TikTok about a Jonas Brothers concert, she decided to share her love life next.
“I’ve been doing my mini-series for close to a year now. Do I have thousands of followers? No. But if someone gets a laugh out of it, then it’s worth it. It shows that dating isn’t always fun or easy, but it’s worth it if it’s what you want,” she says.
As for falling in love, Sophia sees it as exactly that – falling. When asked what it means to her, and whether it’s something we have control over or if it just happens to us, I expected the usual responses: “You have control over your life,” “You just have to make it happen,” or “It’s a numbers game.” Instead, her answer was straightforward, understated, and perfectly simple.
“I feel like falling in love is not something that you can create. When you fall in life, you trip – it’s done without purpose. It just happens, and you have no control over the outcome. Falling in love is kind of the same. You’ve got no control over the moment and it just happens,” she explains.
When the inevitable blunder does come around, and you trudge home with heavy heels after yet another disappointing date, there’s only ever one thing, person, or place that can make you feel like everything’s okay – for most, it’s our best friends.
“After a crappy date, I pick myself up by making sure I’m surrounded with good people and great food. I go to one of my best friends’ houses for dinner and wine, and we just hang out; it just refreshes my soul,” Sophia says.
Just like Bridget Jones goes hand in hand with The Weather Girl’s ‘It’s Raining Men,’ the soundtrack of songs Sophia’s dream love life includes ‘Dela’, the last song in George of the Jungle, where they’re dancing around the tree singing, “I’ve been waiting for you all my life.”
For now, though, her playlist is about hope, patience, and waiting for what she wants.
“I’m learning about what I want and need in a partner, and that dating should be fun. I’ve realised that it shouldn’t be this heavy, anxiety-provoking thing. I’m learning to trust my gut and to ask for what I want,” she says.
As for her self-confessed lover-girl mentality – that hasn’t changed. Once a hopeless romantic, always a hopeless romantic.
