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Aziz Ansari Hits Reddit To Redefine Modern Love — & It’s Totally Adorable

rexusa_1832784cPhoto: Matt Baron/BEImages.
It's no secret that we're big Aziz Ansari fans here at R29. His standup act is always insightful and hilarious, and we love him as the incredibly suave Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation. But, his new project has us falling even more in love.
Apparently, being the big ol' softie he is, Ansari is working on a book about love in the 21st century. And, like any good comedian, he's taking cues from the world around him to put together a new definition of love that's not only funny, but real. Yesterday morning, together with co-author and NYU professor Eric Klinenberg, Ansari took to Reddit, that endless fount of Internet amazingness, creating his own subreddit where casanova Redditors can respond to prompts on a wide array of dating topics. While many of the responses are appropriately hilarious, we can't get over how sweet some of these got. Yes, folks — real love does indeed exist in the Internet age.
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We combed through /r/modernromantics to find the very best tidbits of lovey-dovey wisdom. Click through — if your faith in love is not restored, well, you're probably doomed. (ONTD)
ModernLove_1Illustrated By Gabriela Alford.
What's the best first date you've ever been on?
"The year? 1994. Right outta high school. He picked me up in a 1982 Datsun 200sx. I lived on a 2 lane highway in NY. Someone threw a half eaten White Castle hamburger into his drivers side window and it landed on the dashboard. We drive to a waterfront dock to "talk"and I said "no one goes to a marina to talk." I touched his wiener. A lot. He wore black jeans. Actually, this sounds like a terrible date. But we are married now, so...yay?" (Tara_Full_Of_Lies)


Some people say being single is EXHAUSTING. Have you felt this? Has it made you more likely to settle, settle down, and get in a relationship?

"I'm a 25-year-old female in New York and I've been single my entire life. There's no way I will be more comforted by having any man in my life - I want the right person. I know others don't feel that way and find themselves constantly in relationships in the hopes of quelling that bit of loneliness, but I could never do that myself. I think being single for so long has made me truly fond of me, and living in a huge city where plenty of people never end up in a permanent relationship has made me more comfortable with the idea that I don't need a relationship to feel fulfilled. Yes, it would be SWELL to have a boyfriend! But, for now, being single is working out just fine!" (Annamaria523)

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What's the best first text you've ever received from a guy/girl after meeting them at a bar or social event?

"'I took your puke coat to the dry cleaners, sweetie.' I had gotten sick (cause cancer not cause drinking, although that was present as well) in a cab and ditched my smelly jacket in the corner of the bar and promptly forgot about it. He recognized it, brought it home to return later and then smelled my shame. Lol. We are still together though." (carcinogeniccompact)

ModernLove_2Illustrated By Austin Watts.


Have you ever fallen in with love someone you weren't attracted to at first? How'd that happen?

"I think it's about pulling focus to what's more important, then that can change how you look at a person physically. When I first met my boyfriend, I wasn't overly attracted to his looks and I thought he was way too neurotic. I came to find that his neuroticism came from being so nervous to talk to me, and suddenly that quality was endearing. Over the first week and a half of our dating, my sister (non-lethally) overdosed on heroin and my grandfather passed away. Even though he hardly knew me, he was right there for me, staying up until all hours of the night to comfort me. I realized I had a man here who wasn't afraid of weird family stuff, who wasn't scared off by emotion, and who would always, always be there for me. And suddenly he was the most handsome man in the world. I can't believe I ever saw him any other way." (ShesSoHeavy)


Has anyone hired a consultant to help you put together an online dating profile or worked with a dating coach? How'd that go?

"Married female here: I try to help my single guy friends with their online profiles all the time. Specifically, I edit what they are saying and help them with their pictures (guys be clueless when it comes to putting up pictures of themselves). One of my friends listed how he used to tap dance as a kid. NOTHING WILL MAKE THE PANTIES DROP FASTER THAN TAP DANCING. I told him to promptly remove that fun fact and gave him photos from his FB that he should put up instead of the ones where he's making goofy faces. He met a girl after my editing and has been with her ever since (2 years). They're moving in together in a couple months." (notamadscientist)

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