Though pandemic-triggered lockdowns have become associated with isolation and loneliness, there are quite a few anomalies. Just ask Domonique and Roland of New Orleans. The love birds crossed paths on Facebook Dating just before COVID-19 hit American soil and their romance managed to blossom through the lockdown.
“For me, I just moved to the city of New Orleans. I was already on Facebook and one day, on the side panel, I saw an ad that said, ‘Try Facebook Dating,’” Roland tells MadameNoire by phone. “I decided to give it a try so I set up a profile since I was in the city and I wanted to explore it. I’m from Louisiana but I’ve never actually explored New Orleans. I was single and at first, I just wanted a friend to explore the city with.”
Around the same time, Domonique had also signed up for Facebook’s dating platform.
“I was also looking for a person just to do more things with because I’m adventurous,” she says. “I just wanted somebody to share that with. So when I saw that Facebook had a dating site, I’m like okay, this can be good because, on Facebook, you’re able to see more about somebody’s life that you can’t see on other dating apps. So that’s what led me to Facebook Dating.”
The pair hit things off by using one of the app’s popular icebreaker questions, which quizzes daters on what superpower they desire the most.
“I was very interested when I first met Dom. There were a few other people I met before her but for me, I knew what I wanted. I didn’t get any deep connections. Everything was kind of shallow,” he says. “When I met Dominique, I crept on her regular page and I saw she was doing motivational talks, talking about meal prepping and eating healthy. That interested me, but I didn’t say anything. Domonique actually sent the icebreaker question. At first, I was going to respond with a pickup line but I decided to answer the question because I was looking for something real.”
Once the ice was broken, the couple had their first date at a restaurant where she worked. Then, the pandemic hit. However, lockdown proved to be a plus for their budding romance.
“If there ever was a good time to try online dating it would be now,” Jhamira adds. “If you’re nervous about using Facebook as a dating site, just know that one of the features of Facebook Dating allows you to remain unseen by your Facebook friends and you can adjust the privacy of your dating profile. This is the new way of life and it’s not bad at all! I owe Facebook for allowing me to connect with such a wonderful human being. We joke all the time about how we probably would’ve never met if it wasn’t for Facebook. I think about that all the time. Now we are engaged and expecting our son in a few weeks all thanks to Facebook Dating. Allow yourself to step outside of what you’re used to and give yourself a chance to have fun! Dating sites don’t always have to be to find a soulmate – you can simply use them to find great people and great experiences.”