“All the women in my DMs were very supportive and made me feel validated in my entire spiel, but the men were saying obviously I just have 'poor taste in men' or 'go after the wrong ones,’” Ashraf says. “Some of the men that did me dirty I didn't even go after, they came to me so wrong!
"I'm just sharing my experience and I think the thing that gets lost the most because everyone has their own experience and I'm just able to share my experience on a bigger platform than most people.”
The aggressive direct messages didn’t do much to redeem Dallas men’s reputation. Through intimate conversations with followers, Ashraf saw a need for a revamping of the local dating scene and teamed up with Dibs on Victory to give the Dallas singles an opportunity for redemption.
Ashraf will be co-hosting an event called "Single’s Soirée" from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Feb. 11 at Dibs on Victory. Singles and friends are invited to join a happy hour, partake in speed dating and spark a new flame. HOT 93.3 morning radio host “Mason," from Mason on the Mic, will be co-hosting the event with Ashraf.
Mason has had her own unfavorable encounters in the local dating scene after she relocated to Dallas last fall to host 93.3’s Hot Mornings With Mason, a gig she landed partially by impressing her new radio employers with her social media savviness.
New to the city, she set out to see what the Dallas dating scene had to offer and chronicled her dating experience through TikTok. One series of voicemails quickly went viral. The 13-part TikTok series got up to 11.4 million views thanks to the audacity, misogyny and self-victimization of a particular Dallas man.
In the first video, Mason details how her date, Brad, stood her up by claiming his father was in the hospital, which he later admitted was a lie. If that wasn’t douchey enough, Brad continued leaving Mason a slew of voicemails where he whined about it being “not cool” that he hadn’t heard back from her because he “spilled his guts to her'' and how he was “rethinking things.”
By the third voicemail, Brad was really off the hinges.
@masononthemic He stood me up…and he’s upset with ME. #fyp #KeepItRealMeals #comedy #dallas #dallastiktok #datingstorytime ♬ original sound - Mason
The practice of gaslighting is a tradition as old as courtship. Ashraf pinpointed Dallas men's inability to be honest as a recurring item on a list of undesirable traits among potential dates — and Brad really upped the ante.
Even so, Mason uncovered a new level to Dallas men’s madness: Brad’s mom.
@masononthemic I was in TikTok jail, sorry took a while to post! Crazy voicemails from his MOTHER. #fyp #crazyvoicemailsfrombradandhismother #comedy #radio #dallasradio #storytime original sound - Mason
Speaking in defense of her son, Brad’s mother joined in on the excessive voicemails with one of her own by calling her son a “good Southern boy,” solidifying the declaration that Dallas is a dating dump.
“I just had my mouth open the entire time and I just remember thinking, ‘This is not happening. Are you kidding me,’ but I also know this is radio gold, this is social media gold,” Mason says. “I was like, ‘Don't kill me,’ but I was in for the content. It did get old after a while and it was the same stuff. He still sends me messages every once in a while, I think when he's been drinking.”
The only positive to the Dallas dating scene appears to be its potential for content, yet there is hope the tides will change. At the Single’s Soirée, Ashraf and Mason are optimistic that Dallas will show its best face.
“I don't think anyone should come in thinking like this whole entire batch of singles is going to just be trash,” Ashraf says. “You should come in with an open heart and open mind. Be clear about your intentions. I think that's really important, like are you looking for a relationship or are you just looking for something casual because I feel like that's where a lot of people go wrong … be very honest up front about what you're looking for and just have fun.”
Organizers want to cater to the singles that frequent Victory Park and provide an atmosphere where they can experience the novelty of speed dating with the familiarity of local online personalities. Together the duo will be giving Dallasites a space to show off the caliber of worthy singles the city really has to offer.
The hot seat, which will begin at 9 p.m., will serve as an entertainment portion for the soirée to warm up singles. Speed dating, which is optional for attendees, will follow.
“Don't have expectations of meeting your soulmate ... I think that's good advice in dating in general,” Mason says. “Just go into it as each thing is a fun experience to kind of add to your bucket list of life, so to speak. So just go into it with a good positive attitude, and you'll have fun, and if anything, you'll have a good story to tell later.”
The Single’s Soirée is free to attend, but spots are limited. RSVP online to secure a spot.
