A man has shown the world his surprising ritual before going on a first date.
A video posted to Instagram by Andreas Polychronis (@andreaspoly_) has gone viral after he revealed what he does before first dates—switching his Lamborghini out for a Buick to make a humbler first impression. Since the video was posted, it has received over 620,000 likes. Polychronis, 27, spoke to Newsweek about why he does this and what he is searching for in a relationship.
Although the video is posted from his sister’s point of view, Polychronis clarified that it was him in the video, and he wanted it shot this way so that the audience would better understand the content.
Photos from Andreas Polychronis’ Instagram video. The video has gone viral after Polychronis revealed what he does before going on first dates.
@andreaspoly_/Instagram
“The point of switching from a Lamborghini to a more subtle Buick is that when going on first dates, as a girl or a guy, the main goal is to check compatibility and see if you can envision yourself long-term with that particular individual,” Polychronis told Newsweek. “By showing up to a date in a $400,000 supercar, as a man, it can actually hurt your chances of finding love.”
People in the comments were divided in their reaction to the video. Some applauded Polychronis’ approach to weeding out women only interested in his wealth, while others thought he should be honest about his preferences from the beginning.
“As a woman, he’s doing the right thing if he’s looking for the real one!” @whatsamimmy wrote. “So many gold diggers out there.”
“Look for a woman of good moral character and be yourself,” @luvthyself11_ wrote in contrast. “Drive whatever you normally drive to pick her up.”
Polychronis’ reason for the car switch, he said, is two-fold.
“First off, it can potentially signify to your date that you are focused on wealth and status, and that trying to impress them with material possessions rather than who you are as a person,” he said. “And second, in some cases, your date might feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable by overt displays of wealth.”
For these reasons, he said, the video was not the first time he’d switched cars on a first date. Concerned, ultimately, with making the “right impression,” Polychronis said he also didn’t want to attract the wrong kind of attention.
In response to the debate in the comments, he said he was surprised at how many women wrote they would prefer a man pick them up in a “normal” car as opposed to a “flashy” one. For those who were honest and said they would prefer the more expensive car, Polychronis sympathized.
“I honestly feel a little bad for the few girls who preferred the more expensive car, because the amount of backlash they got was a tad harsh for being honest,” he said. “Look, if I am being perfectly honest, my dream is to ride around in the Lamborghini with the girl of my dreams—but that’s something that comes with time.”
By starting his first dates off without the glitz, Polychronis hopes he will find romantic interests who like him for who he is, “without a materialistic basis,” he said.
