No one ever said that dating apps were exclusively for the young.
Grandma Hattie – affectionately known as the "Tinder Granny" – is a dating coach who had gone on hundreds of dates using the popular app and had some tips for Insider Edition's Johanna Li.
Hattie is an 83-year-old mother of two and a grandmother of three.
She has been divorced since the 50s and has been dating for over 35 years, with a preference for men who are at least 20 years younger than herself.
Tinder has become her go-to dating app, and she had plenty to discuss about her experiences.
In a quest to snag a date for Valentine's Day, Li asked the wise dating expert for some advice.
You can watch the Inside Edition interview with Grandma Hattie here.
The self-professed "Cougar Gran" said that Tinder was a good place to start and said the app was "like shopping at a good store."
"There's a lot of things to buy here and I don't even have to pay for them."
She told Li not to analyze someone she is instantly drawn to while scrolling through potential suitors and "just swipe right."
"Generally you just trust your instinct because it's like if you ask a whole bunch of questions, everybody thinks they're interesting and fun and sexy and all that."
"If it hits you right, just say I'm going to give it a try."
Hattie is quite the novelty, with younger men in their 20s seeking a date with her.
She once told Dr. Phil:
"I love younger men because they're in the middle of an achievement, of a goal."
"There's the excitement of creating. I'm still creating, and it's exciting."
When it comes to giving out phone numbers, Hattie advised Li to do so "immediately," if she was interested.
"People get into texting. It's like fake dates, fake love, fake people. No."
"I used to watch 'Catfish' and then people would write each other in love for a year. They never met. So what you want to do is let it be known that you want to meet."
"Talk first, and set up a meeting right after that conversation."
Hattie also added that if people are interested in someone during the first date, they should portray themselves as a "possible yes."
"Leave open the possibility that you'll have a Valentine's Day love-making session [and] be sex-ready anytime you're going on a date."
"Have condoms, have lubricant. Don't do anything without those two things."
She also said to be kind if there are no fireworks.
"In the event you're feeling, 'I don't want to move forward with this.' You have to say to the guy, 'I know this isn't really how I've come on,' but be kind and say, 'We both wanted it to happen, but it isn't.'"
Conversely, if a guy is not interested, the octogenarian encouraged Li to move on.
"If a guy isn't into you, don't get hurt. If somebody tells me 'You're too old for me,' I say, 'Tell me something I don't know.'"
The Tinder Gran also suggested people to tailor the experience to their needs.
"It's up to you to choose the one you want or not want, and then release them or take them in, and then you come up with the fullness of the experiences as it was for you."
"Don't do anything you don't want to do and do whatever you want to do."
"You use dating and sexuality to get closer to yourself."
"It doesn't matter if it's a good date or bad date, or he'll be with you forever or not forever. It's a wonderful opportunity. And you make it an adventure."
Based on her many years of dating experience, she did not hold back while mentioning her required criteria in the bedroom.
She told Barcroft TV in a very candid interview:
"If you're long it's okay. But if you're wide, I can't take you in."
She added that Tinder helped her see men differently.
"You know I learned a lot from Tinder. What I learned is that men are people instead of just potential hard d*cks."
But it seems her days on that app are numbered, despite her sage tips.
Nowadays, she is focusing on looking for a constant companion.
"I have become a woman who gets hooked up, even though that was not my intention."
"I can't just keep saying yes to what I don't really want. I really want one man."
Like most people, Grandma Hattie is determined to find true love again, and she is proving that you can never be too old to be persistent.
You can watch the Barcroft TV interview here.
**
@karaswisher/Threads
@4evaBlessed23 reply to @KatieMiller/X
@AReddy2418 reply to @KatieMiller/X
