This ‘Husband Application’ Might Be the Most Organized Dating Strategy Yet

Dating apps sort of feel like looking for a new job. You curate your profile to give the best version of you, hope you get the interview (aka date), then anxiously wait to hear back after the first round (or, much like a first interview, decide it’s not the best fit for you). Arin Patterson just took it one step further and made men fill out actual paperwork.

Patterson, a 36-year-old in Charlotte, North Carolina, pinned a three-page Google form to her Instagram bio in late August and called it a husband application. By the time submissions closed on September 30, 241 men had applied, and Patterson told the New York Post she’d also received somewhere between 1,000 and 1,500 DMs. 

The form was titled “So…You’re Interested?” and started with Patterson introducing herself as a “people person — optimistic, bubbly, silly, kind and authentic.” Then came the requirements.

Men had to be between 28 and 47, Christian, single, and interested in becoming a husband and father. Patterson listed a bachelor’s degree or higher among her preferences, along with a height of at least 5-foot-10. She’s 5-foot-8 and says she’s 6 feet in heels, so the height requirement was a must. 

The application asked all the basics, but she also wanted to get into the nitty-gritty. Men were asked about their careers, daily routines, views on marriage and family, and what they could talk about for an “unreasonable amount of time.” The last one was probably the most important of them all. 

Patterson said she’d be open to a “boo for the holidays,” but she ultimately wants a husband. She’s been single for about three years and told the Post she’d already tried the apps, meeting people in person, and getting set up by friends before deciding to try the form. Because why not?

People online had opinions, as they always do. Some thought the whole thing was funny or even genius and wanted to try it themselves, while others saw it as too much and desperate. Patterson didn’t seem especially bothered by the criticism. “I don’t think that having a desire for something means that you’re desperate for it,” she told the Post.

She’s also not the first person to turn dating into an application process. In 2022, Muhammad Malik put up billboards in London and Birmingham asking women to “save” him from an arranged marriage, with a website where interested women could apply. The campaign was created with the dating app Muzmatch, but Malik was a real bachelor looking for a wife. More than 5,000 women reportedly applied.

Patterson’s attempt doesn’t have a dating company’s budget behind her. It’s just one woman, a Google Form, and now 241 responses to get through. 

At least no one can accuse her of not being clear about what she wants.