While former first lady Michelle Obama has her own thoughts on online dating, in a zero-contact allowed pandemic there is little choice. It is no longer possible to go out and bump into someone interesting at the store. Dating in the 21st century is now heavily reliant on leaving our love lives in – literally – the hands of the fate (i.e. us and the left, right and upward swipes that determine if we’ll ever meet our “perfect” matches).
And with the pandemic causing a surge in what is already a popular dating method, it is inevitable that there will be a good side and a bad side to the fact. A good: the higher the chances of you meeting someone interesting; whether they go on to be a love interest or simply join your circle of friends, that’s entirely up to you. But the one bad side that has been a hard argument against dating apps: the shallowness of it all. For the most part, people are swiping based on looks and – on the off chance that there has been effort put into writing – an interesting bio. Not only that, it’s difficult to regulate the inappropriate messages sent/received. Now, Bumble as dating app, has set itself apart from the traditional apps by being the first to make online dating more comfortable for women, by allowing them to make the first move. They also allow for a variety of attributes: horoscope, interests, height, weight, desire for kids, pets, etc. However, even with this, there’s a certain level of toxicity. After all, with the luxury of anonymity, people tend to think that it’s okay to make comments on the other person’s physical features. Knowing what you want is one thing, but belittling someone else for not being “up to your standards” is definitely not okay.
Thankfully, in a new update to the app and its terms of service, Bumble has implemented a body-shaming policy, while warning against any form of bias. The platform is one was built on the premise of “respect and kindness” and are now “taking another step to make [the] app safer for our community.”
“We’re doing this by updating our terms and conditions to explicitly ban unsolicited and derogatory comments made about someone’s appearance, body shape, size, or health. This includes language that can be deemed fat-phobic, ableist, racist, colorist, homophobic or transphobic.”
The app will use automated safeguards to suss out prohibited comments and images but for the most part, people will have to still report individuals who have made such comments. Previously, the app allowed reports for fake profiles, inappropriate content, scams or commercials. With this new addition to their terms, individuals who have been reported for unsolicited and derogatory comments about someone’s appearance will receive a warning and “repeated incidents or particularly harmful comments” will lead to them being removed from the platform.
The app went on to clarify what would fall under the category of body shaming:
• fat-shaming
• health shaming
• criticizing skin or hair
• thin shaming
• unsolicited opinions
• and mocking someone’s physical features
This move is an important one, as repeated exposure to toxicity can take a major toll on mental health, affecting one’s relationships with people, work and oneself. If you happen to come across someone who is toxic within the app, make use of the Block & Report, Unmatch & Report, and Hide & Report option – but make sure to let Bumble know why you’re doing so. Toxic people who need to be kept out of your life should be kept out of your life and that of those who may come into contact with them.
*Cover image credit: Photo by Andrej Lišakov on Unsplash *This is not sponsored content.
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