Woman Goes Viral After Sharing Story of 'Shortest First Date Ever' — an Experience That Left Her 'Mortified' (Exclusive)

Maggie Smith says she shared her story on TikTok in the hopes of opening a conversation about how to treat others — even if they aren't your physical "type"

• Maggie Smith has been sharing her dating stories publicly since leaving what she calls a "toxic relationship" earlier this year

• A recent date ended quickly in a way that left Smith "mortified"

• Smith talks to PEOPLE about the lessons she learned from the moment, and how it made her feel

A woman is going viral on TikTok after sharing her experience on "the shortest first date ever" — one she tells PEOPLE all about in an exclusive interview

Maggie Smith explains she's been dating "on and off for over a decade."

"The dating scene is tough for everyone, but it feels more superficial than ever in recent years," adds the Alabama native, 32. "I have met people organically, on the apps, and my most recent ex…well, I met him on Twitter/X."

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Smith says she began sharing her dating stories after she came out of a "toxic relationship" over the summer, at a time when she "felt really alone."

"My friends shared about their very similar stories and I realized that many of us are in the same boat," she says. "I didn’t want anyone else to feel as alone as I did, so I made my first [TikTok] post about my cheating ex-boyfriend and the lies he told me."

Since then, she's continued posting — both about that relationship and about her experiences on dating apps — including a recent date that she called "the shortest first date ever," detailed in a now-viral TikTok post.

The beginning of the video shows Smith in her bathroom, with her hair done and makeup on as she tells the camera, "I put makeup on just for this date so it better go well."

The footage then cuts to a visibly upset Smith in her car, telling the camera, "It did not go well. Truthfully, it lasted less than two minutes. I walked up, he gave me a hug, and said, 'Are you hungry? Let's go inside.' "

"We went inside, he said, 'Actually, can you step outside for a minute?' And I stepped back outside, and he said, 'I'm not trying to offend you, but I'm just not feeling it.' So I walked to my car, and came back home," she adds. "Dating when you're fat sucks."

Speaking to PEOPLE about the experience, Smith says she was "mortified," adding that the man cut the date short in front of a group of strangers.

"In the moment, I was mortified. He brought me outside in front of a group of people to say it and my mind went blank," she says. "I just said 'okay,' and started walking to my car in shock."

She continues: "As I walked away, he felt the need to say, 'I’m sorry, it’s your weight.' I didn’t ask, because I didn’t care. I didn’t know him. I wasn’t heartbroken, just embarrassed."

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Smith says she has been "blown away by the vulnerable messages" she's received since sharing her videos, saying that she's been contacted by dozens of other women — and some men — "who are broken by the current dating climate, thanking me for being vulnerable and validating some of their experiences."

The "shortest date ever" experience, she says, will hopefully open up a conversation about how to treat others, even if they aren't one's physical "type."

"Preferences are reasonable, but I think there is a way to treat others with dignity," she says, adding: "I don’t think he was trying to be unkind, but it certainly felt like a low blow in the moment."

Had she been able to live the moment over, she says she wouldn't have walked back to her car but instead, "walked back inside and gotten dinner, because I definitely forgot to eat dinner altogether."

"But I don’t regret not saying anything. He had wasted enough of my time at that point and I don’t think he deserved the validation of me asking questions or responding," she says.

Following that experience, Smith says she hasn't lost her optimism, though she is a bit more hesitant about who she dates. "I will say, outside of violence … my worst case scenario has always been something like this happening," she says. "And, well, it happened and I’m still here. So that means it’s only up from here, right?"

Saying she's looking for a partner who is "kind, honest and thoughtful … and, of course, someone who thinks I’m funny," Smith adds: "Ultimately, I’ve spent this year falling in love with myself again, and if someone isn’t able to love me the way I love myself, it’s a pass."

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