You may have noticed a sea of yellow overtaking the usual pink that plasters the DB socials on a daily basis…. Well, we teamed up with Bumble Australia in one of our most exciting partnerships to date. 

In celebration of ‘International Tell Your Crush Day’ which took place last Saturday, May 7th, we took to the streets, with buckets of blooms and an abundance of Bumble merchandise to spread the word! Setting up shop on the north shore of Bondi Beach in Sydney and amongst the hustle and bustle of Flinders Street Station in Melbourne. Our goal was to challenge gender norms within romantic relationships, encouraging people to think about the stereotypes within dating and how they impact the way we act, including how we show, share and celebrate love.

Research from Bumble and DAILY Blooms has found that while flowers are a popular gift - over 90% of Australians surveyed have bought flowers as a gift for someone else - we aren't on equal footing when it comes to who receives them. 

Did you know just 3% of all DAILY Blooms bouquets are sent to men. In fact most men won’t receive flowers until their funeral. How sad is that! We know that this is not because men don’t like flowers. So why is this? A whopping 83% of men say they would find it romantic to receive a gift from someone who has a crush on them.

Bumble’s recent Romance Gap campaign, which found that over 80% of Australians believe that when it comes to romantic relationships, there are different expectations and expected behaviours depending on your gender identity. Despite positive strides towards equality, traditional gender roles and expectations remain entrenched in dating culture and romantic customs. Often, behaviours that are labelled romantic for men, are negatively labelled for women. These discrepancies show up across dating and relationships in different ways, with both men and women feeling considerable pressure to behave in a certain way.

Lucille McCart, Bumble’s APAC Communications Director, said: “Gift giving is an area where gender stereotypes thrive. We still have very gendered ideas around what is an acceptable gift for a man or a woman. We are stuck in this idea that men need to take the lead in dating and relationships, and therefore they need to be the ones that initiate romance. Tied to this is the idea that gifting a man something such as flowers would be emasculating or something only women would enjoy. This International Tell Your Crush Day we are here to remind you that there are no rules. Now more than ever is the time to start dating on your own terms and making your own first moves. No matter the gender identity of your crush, why not put yourself out there and send them a cute bouquet on this fun day.

Courtney Ray, DAILY Blooms Founder, said that the research findings are not new to them: “Our most recent customer data shows that 97% of all DAILY Blooms bouquets are received by women. Interestingly, 29% of those orders are placed by men who are celebrating a special occasion or sending a romantic gesture. It is surprising that with such a large female customer base we don't see more women gifting flowers to the special men in their lives. I would love to see that change.”

Chantelle Otten, Sexologist “This Saturday is International Tell Your Crush Day, and @bumble_australia and @dailybloomsau are empowering you to make the first move and tell your crush how you feel!
Basically, Bumble recognises that there is a clear inequality in the way that masc's and femme’s are expected to behave when it comes to romance, dating and relationships. Gift giving in particular in an area where gender stereotypes have a real moment.
Bumble want to empower women and femmes to challenge gender expectations and make the first move! If you have a crush on somebody, why not show them with flowers?”

Brisbane couple, Ava Dunstan & Daniel Seymour “As a woman, I want to be able to surprise my partner with flowers or a gift. Everyone deserves to feel special, and there’s joy in surprising someone you care about.” Ava Dunstan

We loved sharing in the festivities of ‘International Tell Your Crush Day’ with you all, we really hope this encourages you to make the first move, challenge gender norms and get a little out of your comfort zone, what have you got to lose!