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You may not be allowed to go out for a candlelight anniversary dinner or get to know someone over a few casual drinks, thanks to the coronavirus crisis.
But that doesn’t mean you are forced to let your love life suffer.
Whether you’re single or attached, former Married At First Sight star Carly Bowyer shares her tips on the best way to adjust to the new world of dating and relationships when all you’ve got is four walls and a WiFi connection.
Carly (pictured with boyfriend Neil Goldsmith) tells couples to “increase the sex” while stuck at home.
(Image: @carlybowyer/ Instagram)Staying coupled up without killing each other
While her MAFS relationships with Justin Fischer and later, Troy Delmege, didn’t last, Carly has since gone on to find love with actor Neil Goldsmith.
Carly, who now co-hosts Nova’s dating podcast Finding a Unicorn, says people in relationships should embrace the uninterrupted time together and get intimate.
“Increase the sex,” she laughs. “That’s what everyone is telling me, who are in couples – that they’re just having sex because they’re bored. There may be a baby boom in nine months’ time.”
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However, the downside of being forced to spend more time with your other half than usual is getting on each other’s nerves.
Carly warns couples to put some safeguards in place to minimise potential dramas.
“They’re not used to spending this much time together so all of a sudden it’s like ‘Sh-t, we don’t actually get along’ the divorce rates are increasing, people are having fights,” she explains.
“Even though you might be stuck indoors with someone, I think it’s important to have your own space as well. Like don’t be on top of each other all the time. Try to get up and do some exercise.“
Single and still ready to mingle
For singles, the situation is potentially even scarier. It’s tough to meet Mr or Mrs Right when you can barely leave your loungeroom, after all.
According to Carly, the secret is staying positive, making use of dating apps but also not being afraid to bring back old-school courting methods.
“Get on the dating apps. People need to embrace it and get on board and put yourself out there,” Carly says.
The podcast host says don’t be afraid to get creative and impress a love interest with quirky ideas.
(Image: @carlybowyer/ Instagram)She also advises to take the time to get to know people through love letters or phone calls.
“People aren’t really used to making phone calls, people do texting a lot. You’re going to have to start actually calling people which is really different.
“I know that sounds stupid but in our generation, people don’t actually pick up the phone and actually talk so people just need to get on board and just do it.”
Carly adds that nailing your dating app profile is essential, and advises singletons to “just have fun with it” .
According to the reality star, including a joke in your bio is always a big tick and says variation is key when choosing photos. Carly says dating app profiles need a mix that includes a full length picture, an up-close selfie, some going out pics and a few “low-key cute” ones as well.
Keep the spark alive with quirky date ideas
Now that the traditional ways to impress a love interest have gone out the window, it’s time to get creative.
As well as increasing the use of heartfelt text messages and chatting via FaceTime, Carly suggests upping the ante in a different way.
“Because obviously, you don’t have physical touch anymore, another cute idea is doing little things like sending people UberEats or online delivery and doing those kind of grand gestures,” she says.
Carly shot to fame on Married At First Sight (pictured with on-screen husband Justin Fischer).
(Image: Channel Nine)How to send nudes
Another classic way to spice things up, whether you’re single or taken for? Sending nudes, of course. Carly says the “perfect nude” comes down to several factors.
“Don’t put your face in it, you have to be a little bit careful with security. I know that revenge porn is illegal nowadays but still,” she says, adding “No face, good lighting, good angles.”
Be warned though; the devil is in the details and Carly warns that mistake like typos can be a total turn off and distract from the sexy image you want your recipient to focus on.
And for those wondering whether how much skin is too much? Well, it seems the choice is a personal one.
“It’s actually quite funny because we spoke about that on the podcast that we thought guys didn’t like the full-frontal genitalia shots,” Carly says.
“We did a poll on our Instagram about that and it was close to 50/50 which we were surprised about. So girls – don’t be afraid to get that out there if you need to!”
For more, check out Carly Bowyer’s Nova podcast, Finding a Unicorn
Carly says “no face, good lighting and good angles” are key to sending a good nude pic.
(Image: @carlybowyer/ Instagram)