Where are pick-up lines used?
Written by Grace Hodson
In contemporary dating, pickup lines seem to have fallen by the wayside. However, this is only when viewed through the lens of movies, books, and other fictional worlds, which tend to depict random strangers catching each others’ eyes and introducing themselves with a sometimes suave, sometimes corny pickup line. Now pickup lines are rarely encountered outside of text conversations on social media or dating apps, as modern dating tends to focus more on displaying interest through kind words or gestures. Seldom is a date with a stranger successfully initiated with a pickup line, as in today’s dating culture individuals spend time cultivating a non-romantic relationship before making their move. The most common place to find a pickup line now is on dating apps, though they can also take the form of direct messages from friends of a friend on Instagram or Snapchat.
Common pickup lines heard today are often humorous, and can fall into categories depending on the season or current events. They also frequently make use of emojis, whether as a pun or simply to help communicate emotion in the sometimes ambiguous world of text. An example of a pickup line during the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic is “Only a pandemic could keep me from someone like you”. Alternatively, a fall based pickup line might be “It’s autumn, which means it’s the perfect time to fall for me!”. However, classics such as “If you were a fruit you’d be a fineapple” “So, do you come here often?” and “Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” are still quite popular online.
Examples of pickup lines received through the dating app Clover that fall into various categories
Responses to a survey we created to determine which pickup lines were the most well known from a small sample of examples
This link goes to a spreadsheet of pickup lines obtained from Clover
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jlLhYyMY5aXfZZuvAZZsS6TsXHg7Z9OSsKxWAtkMZf0/edit?usp=sharing