- - TikTok Star and Self-Proclaimed Icon Laurie Cooper Shares Her Unexpected Dating Advice for Girls Looking for Love (Exclusive)

Tabitha ParentJanuary 20, 2026 at 12:30 AM

0

Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Laurie Cooper. -

Laurie Cooper is a self-proclaimed New York City icon

Elegant, witty and chock-full of good advice from a life of living and working in the Big Apple, Cooper has made a name for herself on social media in the last year or so

Her social media pages are a wealth of information for anyone seeking a little bit of life guidance — but she's become known for her emphatic tips for approaching dating and being a treasure trove of New York living secrets

You wouldn't have to do much digging into Laurie Cooper to know that she is a complete and total icon.For starters, she's certainly not shy about it."I am an icon, everyone knows who I am," reads the straightforward first line of her Instagram bio. But, aside from just touting herself as one (which is surely legendary behavior, in and of itself), Cooper has all the typical makings of an icon.She's a lifelong New Yorker, which isn't the only prerequisite for reaching icon status, but if you're as cool about it as Cooper is, it can't hurt. She tells PEOPLE that she doesn't buy into the narrative that New York isn't what it used to be."I feel no nostalgia toward my past," she says point-blank. "I'm only enjoying now. I've seen it all. I think we're living in a much better place now."Beyond that, her style is killer — just a quick scroll through her Instagram makes that crystal clear. Fur hats, buttery yellow gloves and an arsenal of silk neck-scarves and sunglasses with colored lenses are evidence of that point.

Laurie Cooper/ Instagram

Laurie Cooper.

But, most importantly, she's a role model — which is the main reason she's been able to blow up online, amassing a following of nearly 80,000 on TikTok and 168,000 on Instagram. The account is run in part by her son, Michael Cooper, with help from a "young and hip" social media consultant, Meagan Keaveny, who Cooper says "knows things" and edits her videos."I always felt [I was an icon] because everything I attempted, I succeeded in," Cooper shares. The secret to her success, which includes a career of over 40 years in New York real estate? She's a pro at selling herself.

"I always feel confident in what I'm doing. And if you feel confident, you're going to be successful," she says.In short: "I felt always that I was an icon, honestly, because I felt good about myself."

Michael S Cooper

Laurie Cooper.

On her page, the elder ("Don't mention my age," she instructs. "Because I'm ageless.") real estate broker turned social media mogul is often seen posted up on errant park benches and familiar, New York City brownstone stoops, as she offers up advice on everything from city-living to dating in the modern age. Her life in the city informs her videos, and she's confident about every single thing she suggests.Need a quick list of recommendations for where to get the best steak in the city (and perhaps stumble upon a cinematic, New York meet-cute)? Cooper recommends Vinile Chophouse for the music lovers."They let you pick which vinyl you want to hear, and they'll play it. Music is a wonderful thing to have in common with someone." Keens Steakhouse, which has been in Manhattan since 1885, is the perfect place to "start a new era for yourself," having seen so many eras of New York itself, she says."You're there for the steak, but you're also there for the meat, girls," she offers up to the camera, slyly.

View this post on Instagram

Cooper often directs her advice toward the "girls," but her tips are universal when it comes to having self-confidence, putting yourself out there and enjoying life — especially in dating.

There's another story she isn't buying into, and it's the one that dating is harder than ever nowadays."When I was single, all these guys wanted to marry me. Everyone I dated. Not that I'm saying that I was the most beautiful, but I was always secure about myself," she tells PEOPLE. "And I was real about myself. I was not a phony and I didn't talk about people. I just wanted to be who I was."Her advice to "the girls" (and anyone else) looking to find love this year is straightforward, but Cooper-tried and true."Talk to them," she says simply. "Talk to the one on the right. Talk to the one on the left. You girls have to be ... This is the world now. Aggressive. If you're not aggressive, you get nowhere."

Specifically? "Say hello to the guy next to you. Say hello to the woman next to you. She may have a brother. You never know. Just get friends. It's so nice to get out and talk. It's miserable outside, but it's warm inside. This fireplace is going. There's that drink. There's that joy of being out."Another Cooper-ism: "Opposites do not attract. Always remember that. If you're looking for a guy, you have to find someone that's got the same interest as you. From similar background, similar values, you respect each other."Of course, Cooper is a proponent of being yourself, but also of being "lovely and good." That means not talking about other people negatively. If you are "lovely and good," she says, "everything will come your way."She's taken to putting out directives on social media for her followers, in an attempt to get them out into the city and exploring more in real life.She's begun bestowing each month of the year with a new theme. In September 2025, it was Sit at the Bar September — Cooper's motivation to the masses to get out and sit at the bar — not scroll on your phone — if you're looking to find love or connection.Off the Apps October took a similar approach, and Never Home November is about as self-explanatory as it gets. Right now, we're in the thick of Just Keep Going January.

"You know how many times I've wanted to give up? Hundreds of times," she says in her monthly theme declaration video. "For example, I once lost five real estate deals in a row, back to back. Can you imagine? I was devastated. I just picked myself up, and guess what? I kept going. I got even more sales after that."

Laurie Cooper/ Instagram

Laurie Cooper.

"Don't let anything get you down. Come on, girls. You think there's nothing left? Guess what? There is everything," Laurie said fervently. "Overcome fear. Believe in yourself. 2026 is gonna be the year. You're proving things to yourself. Just keep going, January. How about that, girls?"Action is the key to success with these monthly missives, and she rattles off the responses from hundreds of people who have followed up on her guidance.

"I have a big fan base. I meet people in the street all the time: 'You give me hope. I follow you. I should have listened to you a long time ago and broken up with him. I've been wasting my time,'" she recounts."If you're not happy, move on. That's what I say. It's one life we have. And we have to live it. Do not waste it."

View this post on Instagram

Her comment sections are filled to the brim with tangible affirmations of the power of her advice.December was either Do Something December or Dump Him December (depending on which of Cooper's videos you saw first), and the comments on the Dump Him video sure made it seem like the girls were doing something."Did it this morning at 9 a.m.," read one commenter's response on Cooper's Dump Him December video.

"Did it the other day n I AINT looking back," another wrote.Cooper's videos and her larger-than-life, quintessentially New York personality have earned her coverage in quite a few major media outlets, as well as an appearance as a bartender on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. She's made quite a few connections over the years, and you may have even recognized her on The Real Housewives of New York as none other than Dorinda Medley's real estate broker (and good friend).She hasn't been able to have all of these experiences for no reason, however,

"Always think one thing," Cooper says. "A lot of yourself. If you do, everyone else will, and always expect the best.""Every day's a beautiful, wonderful day. And get out there, girls," she advises.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”