Millennial Woman Prepares for First Ever ‘Romantic Sleepover’ Aged 34

A woman who has shared life as a “late bloomer” to help others has told Newsweek how in her 30s she is preparing for her first ever “romantic sleepover.”

Allora Dannon, 34, lives in New York and works in marketing, and has developed a huge online following for her videos speaking candidly about being a “late bloomer.”

She began dating for the first time in her 30s, which she says was initially down to a “lack of opportunity,” recalling feeling “left behind” from as young as 17, when others paired up and got into relationships.

She said: “It took a long time [to] be able to accept that there was nothing wrong with me, I couldn’t be late for my own life, and that everyone has a different life story. Why should love—at any age—be any different?”

In 2022, Dannon began documenting her “first forays into dating” on her TikTok account @alloradannon, hoping it would “hold her accountable” and not give up on dating too soon, as well as help her “let go of my own embarrassment at having no dating experience whatsoever.”

“It’s the biggest cosmic joke that those videos went viral and my platform grew rapidly,” she said; her account boasts almost 70,000 followers, and she even appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show to speak about her experiences last year.

One video, shared on November 15, with 14,000 likes, shows Dannon speaking about preparing for her “first romantic sleepover,” and begins with her explaining: “Until the age of 32 I had never been asked out, I’d never so much as held someone’s hand, I had never been on a date.”

Having a sleepover with a romantic partner felt like a “milestone,” but one that came with immense nerves. She told viewers it was entirely up to themselves if they wanted this sleepover to be “zesty or non-zesty,” and said in her case, she had invited someone over to sleep, but with a “non-zesty conclusion,” which she let him know ahead of time, as “how someone responds to you can be very indicative of their personality.”

“If someone gives you a hard time, if they make fun of you, this is not someone who deserves the glory and honor of sleeping beside you.”

“Just sleeping beside someone when you never have before is a form of physical intimacy that is so special,” she said, but added her anxiety and nerves around dating and being used to romantic touch is something “that I am continuously working on.”

She advised viewers: “Live in the moment, be yourself, see what happens. It’s OK that you’re nervous but it’s such a special, intimate, vulnerable moment. And you deserve all the joy that comes with it.

“I wish you the best night’s sleep in the arms of someone you like or love.”

Her video was filled with comments from followers, one writing: “I love this series!! could you do a video on non sexual physical intimacy?”

Another shared their own experience: “My first sleepover (at 28) I changed in the bathroom and wore my regular pajamas—flannel pants and a Cookie Monster shirt! No zesty for 8 months. We’ve been married 15 years now.”

And one revealed: “I’m 45 and I still haven’t started dating.”

Dannon told Newsweek she talks about being a late bloomer online to “normalize the experience” as in her teens and twenties, “I felt so alone.”

“I didn’t know a single other person with my life experience. I thought I was the only one. If I can help even one other late bloomer feel less alone, then I’ll have considered my time on the internet a job well done.”

She is also trying to flip the script, as she warned: “The narrative around late bloomers being socially awkward, hideous virgins is tired and isolating. It’s a stigma that helps no one.

“The reality is that most late bloomers have simply been off living their lives to the fullest and romance just doesn’t necessarily happen easily or organically for them. But because this stereotype exists that they must somehow be unworthy or unlovable, it can be so isolating.”

The way people are dating in the U.S. is changing: in 2019, 46.19 percent of social media users were on an online dating website or app, increasing to 60.52 in 2024, according to Statista. This is projected to rise to 65.86 by 2028.

Knowing she is helping people who might feel too vulnerable or shy to speak out about their own experience, or lack thereof, makes Dannon feel “wildly empowered.”

“I always say I think a piece of my brain might be broken, because I am no longer shy at all discussing dating, physical intimacy, or my own lack of experience—all things I never dreamed I would be discussing so openly online.

“But honesty and authenticity can be so healing for people struggling with feeling so alone, and that has made my journey all the more enriching.”