Single women are using Hinge to get their furniture built by matches — for free: ‘It felt like getting the boyfriend experience on a first date'

Yahoo

21 hours ago

Move over, Mr. Right — Gen Z gals are looking for Mr. Fix-It.
Savvy single ladies in NYC and beyond are treating the dating app Hinge like a handyman service —updating their profiles on the trendy pair-off platform to say they can be 'won over' by a man who can help them install, well, hinges.
Dinner and drinks? Later for that — these practical women on the prowl say the ideal 'first date' includes hex keys and hammer drills.
'I feel like guys need a little job or mission, and then they feel so happy. They're like a golden retriever [dog] — they accomplished something and are happy to help,' Hinge habitué Storm Halestrap, 24, of Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn, told The Post of the 'Bob the Builder' trend.
The professional photographer participated in the handyman-hustling Hinge hack on social media, posting a video —albeit a cheeky one — back in April that showed a man crouched on the floor assembling a wooden table with a drill.
'POV: You get your Hinge date to build your new TikTok shop furniture,' the caption read.
It turns out that the man featured is her current boyfriend, whom she did meet on the popular app, Halestrap told The Post, though she didn't nab him while looking for Mr. Fix-It.
However, the impetus for her video was that she previously had multiple successes meeting similarly service-minded suitors on Hinge.
During her senior year at Parsons School of Design, Halestrap matched with a finance bro shortly after moving to Midtown — and casually mentioned that her dark, tiny bedroom needed some sprucing up.
'I remember telling one of my Hinge matches about this and how I wanted plants to brighten up my room, and he said, 'Well, I think we have to do that for our first date — I'll buy you all the plants you need to fill your room,'' she recalled.
The two got drinks to loosen up, then stumbled into Home Depot on the Upper East Side, where he filled her cart with greenery and helped haul it all back.
A year earlier, while living in the East Village, she invited a different guy over who zeroed in on her bare bedroom walls and immediately offered to hang her frames — even insisting on buying nails and a lamp to brighten the space.
'I thought it was funny how I brought this guy into my bedroom, and his first thought was to start fixing things and telling me what I needed to fix in my room,' Halestrap recounted.
Experts say the chivalry-tinged trend taps into a post-pandemic shift: ladies want utility — not just chemistry.
'It mimics the most traditional dynamic — the man fixes, the woman asks for help,' Dr. Jennifer Gunsaullus, a sociologist, speaker and founder of The Center for Courageous Intimacy, told The Post.
'The men get to impress through action — not just words — and show off problem-solving skills right from the jump,' she explained.
Hinge declined to comment when contacted by The Post.
The stories are popping up all over TikTok these days — with allegedly satisfied users showing off everything from built bed frames to hung cabinets.
And after a Post reporter added a call for shelf-and-curtain-rod removal to their own Hinge profile, offers of help came hammering in — with get-it-done guys declaring their willingness to work before, during or after a date.
'I think this trend is super cute and nice to know that the guys want to help out. It shows that they're a good sport about it and the kind of person they are,' Teana Heys, 23, of Seattle, told The Post.
Heys' TikTok telling of her own experience went viral last September, showing her former roommate in Phoenix and a Hinge match getting down to business — with a power drill.
In the clip, the man is seen preparing to mount a TV on their wall as the cheeky caption declares: 'We're just girls utilizing our resources.'
Heys told The Post that the roomie had proudly listed 'looking for a handyman' in her Hinge bio — and was met with enthusiastic prospects.
'A lot of guys actually responded to it, asking her what she needed fixed,' she said.
Another Seattle resident, Rimika Banerjee, 24, had similar success reaching out for help after a recent move.
'I was anticipating having to build all the furniture myself — it was stressful,' Banerjee told The Post.
'I remember thinking, 'This is a situation where it would be nice to have a boyfriend,' but I didn't, so I just went straight to Hinge.'
Banerjee said the handyman hook was her hottest Hinge prompt yet — racking up more matches and messages than any flirty one-liner ever could, resulting in her ideal meet-up.
'He helped build my bed frame and was one of the nicest guys I've met on Hinge,' she said.
'It felt like getting the boyfriend experience on a first date.'
Banerjee said building furniture together took the pressure off, created instant chemistry, and helped break the ice — and even though the pair didn't end up dating, it made what would have been a chore into a happy experience.
'These tasks can be annoying, but if you have an attractive guy around, they can be more fun,' she explained. 'It mimics a real-life partner situation.'
But while relationship expert Gunsaullus applauded the 'authentic' nature of the DIY dates, calling them 'refreshing,' they're not without risks, she warned.
'Letting someone into your home on a first date is serious. You should ask yourself: Do I really trust this person?' she said, recommending at least a few meetups — preferably three — before inviting anyone in for a home project.
Gunsaullus also raised concerns about men feeling exploited, particularly if they're unaware they're being filmed for social media clout.
'I would hate for a man to just feel used … like he was handy and social media fodder,' she said.
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