TikTok user Seri Thompson, who goes by @serissnaps, shared her experience of a first date on Aug. 13, sparking a debate over who should pay the bill.
Thompson said she met a man named Ethan on Hinge. In the first part of the video, she was dressed up and sitting in her car, ready for the date. "Date one with Ethan. You guys," she said.
The second part was filmed after she got home. In it, she explained why she was unhappy with how the evening had gone: "I paid for my own food. Was it a date? I don't know. … I paid for my own food." She added that he did not offer to pay, and she did not pay for him either.
"But someone has to do it, so I did," she said.
@serissnaps I hate it here #hinge #hingedate #firstdate
♬ original sound - serissnaps
Thompson captioned the post, “I hate it here,” and it had 82,000 likes as of publication. In the comments, viewers were split on whether paying separately was a dating red flag or simply normal adult behavior.
One commenter wrote, "You paid for the food you ate? Oh nooooooooooo that's so baaaaad," and another asked if the creator's idea of a date was whether ''someone else pays for [her] food." Others said that going on a first date does not automatically mean either person has to pay for the other. One commenter suggested that people should “always assume” they are paying for their own meal, while another said that a man would not be obligated to pay today.
However, one commenter said that if a man asks a woman out on a first date, he “should be paying.” Another said that, for her, a date wasn't a date if the man didn't pay or bring flowers.
The conversation soon became an argument about feminism and gender roles. Some commenters framed Ethan's decision as an example of “equality,” while others argued that women only wanted equality when it suited them. "Why are we expecting men to pay for everything for us now?" asked one commenter. A different commenter, said it was "always wild" to see women expect men to pay the bill.
However, some commenters pushed back on turning the issue into a debate over feminism. One commenter said people have different dating standards, while another said the issue was not who paid but whether the two had compatible expectations.
The Daily Dot could not independently verify the details shared in the TikToker's account. The details above reflect the events as described by @serissnaps on TikTok.
