Loyal Bob Marley fan Lashawnda Becoats is looking for her One love and hoping that an Instagram post and invitation to see a film about a Jamaican reggae star will help her find her prince charming.
The 52-year-old mother of three grown children says she tried dating apps but didn’t have much success, so this week she got creative in her search for love.
“I reached out to my Instagram followers to find someone to date because I was exhausted from my Bumble experience and wanted to do something different,” Becoats, of Charlotte, NC, tells PEOPLE. “The Bob Marley movie is coming out on Valentine’s Day, and of course I don’t want to go see the movie alone.
“My hope was that by creating the contest and sharing it with my followers, I would meet someone and celebrate Bob Marley and Valentine’s Day in a unique way,” she explains.
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Becoat’s post shows pictures of him wearing a Bob Marley tank top and Jamaican flag colored trainers, with the caption saying: “Looking for Bob Marley fan #2.” He tells potential dates to “impress me with a photo of you in your favorite Bob Marley T-shirt or tell me your favorite song and why.”
The part-time model and talent manager says she got the idea for the Instagram appeal after a friend invited her to a group outing where couples would watch a movie and enjoy a Jamaican dinner on Valentine’s Day. Becoats says she wanted to go, but she didn’t want to go alone.
“I don’t have anyone, so I thought, let me put it out there. Let me go out and do something different,” she says.
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Lashawnda Becoats.
Courtesy of Lashawnda Becoats
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This is not the first time she shares her journey for love with her more than 21,000 followers. She frequently posts about what she calls her “crazy dating life.”
“It’s fun for me to share my experiences with my followers so people can see that you can date after 40 and what you should expect when you get back on the dating scene,” Becoat explains.
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She says she loves receiving messages from people who find her stories inspiring.
“I think everyone wants to love and be loved, and people think that at a certain point in life it should be easier because you’re a certain age, but with the way things are now with dating apps and people not meeting organically, Like before, people want alternatives, other ways to connect,” shares the 52-year-old.
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Lashawnda Becoats.
Courtesy of Lashawnda Becoats
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So far, she says she’s gotten a ton of support for her Bob Marley post, but she doesn’t have a date — yet.
With two weeks until Valentine’s Day and the film’s release, Becoats remains optimistic and ready to travel for the right guy.
“I keep saying that fortune favors the brave and when you try traditional things and they don’t work, what do you have to lose? The name of my Instagram is Run Toward Your Life because I say, ‘don’t live your life in fear,'” she adds. “It’s about being brave in who you are and overcoming your fear and living your authentic life.”
Sounds like something Bob Marley himself might have said.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education