Dating can be nerve-wracking, especially if you’ve had bad experiences in the past. Maria Serpas, a 40-year-old entrepreneur from Montebello, was nervous as she waited for her blind date to arrive at a recent speed-dating event in Los Angeles called Dating Blind. When her date finally sat down, she couldn’t see him because they were both wearing blindfolds.
Dating Blind is a unique dating experience that was created to combat superficial speed-dating interactions. The event happened in a large educational facility known as Beyond the Combs Academy located in Leimert Park. Founder Arissa Haze launched the event in her hometown of St. Louis in July 2019 and brought it to LA for the first time on a recent Saturday afternoon. There were 12 singles, including five men and seven women, who participated in the event.
Haze, a performer known as Miss Haze, commented that when given only seven minutes to converse with another person, it’s hard not to judge them before even getting to know them. She suggested that if people could not see each other, they would not be so quick to judge. Haze admitted that she was guilty of making judgments based off of first impressions and assumed others do the same.
Haze believes that physical appearance should be removed from dating because people tend to judge others based on their appearance, and it’s not fair. She created Dating Blind several months before Netflix’s popular reality dating show “Love Is Blind” premiered in February 2020. “It’s cool that they have it as a show, but at the same time, it’s still not a real thing,” she said, adding that the series only features “attractive people.”
Serpas felt safer wearing the blindfold because her date wasn’t looking at her and she wasn’t looking at him. She put on her best outfit for the event, which included a dress with a butterfly pattern, pink shoes, subtle makeup, and voluminous curls. She stated that, in her experience, men often focus on her physical appearance, but are not interested in engaging in meaningful conversations.
Dating Blind provides an opportunity for people to get to know each other without being judged based on their appearance. It allows individuals to have deeper conversations and connect on a more meaningful level. The event was a success, and Haze plans to host more Dating Blind events in the future.