With over 50 million active users in 196 countries, Tinder has outlasted its flavor-of-the-month status, becoming the most popular geo-targeting app out there. Each day there are 26 million matches made on Tinder, with more than 8 billion matches made to date.
On average, there are 1.7 billion swipes per day. Per day!
But beware: “Women are visual and will swipe left if your photo is a turn off,” says online dating expert Julie Spira. “Posting photos of you with sunglasses says you’re hiding something. Girls want to look into your eyes. Posting photos of a gorilla may be funny to you, but does she really want to kiss that furry animal? Not really. And those selfies without the shirt? Are they really your best photos? You may want to show off your physique, but on the first swipe, she probably doesn’t want to see you naked.”
Of course, landing the coveted right swipe takes more than just the right photo. Take it from Rosette Pambakian, Tinder’s VP of Global Communications & Branding and a Tinder user herself.
“Never, ever skip the bio section,” says Pambakian. “Girls are 99% less likely to swipe right on you if you aren’t willing to divulge some basic info about yourself.” Another suggestion: Link your Instagram account to your Tinder profile. “It’s a great way to give your potential matches even more insight into your personality and interests.”
So just how bad is it out there for the women on Tinder–who make up 42% of the site’s active users?
We chatted with 15 women with one thing in common: an array of pet peeves about the things guys are doing on Tinder that turn them off. Steer clear of these faux pas.
1. “Stop calling me babe. Seriously, stop. I’m not your babe. My mother and father gave me a name for a reason. Use it.” – Jess O.
2. “Say something more than ‘Hey’. Sorry to break it to you guys, but for a lot of you (A. LOT. OF. YOU.), you’ll need to rely on more than ‘Hey’ and your pictures to win us over.” – Tanner A.
3. “Stop dying—I don’t mean literally dying (I don’t think)… I guess it’s more of a disappearing act. There’s been a few guys who I think I’ve killed off (RIP Niels). If you’re going to decide to stop answering mid-convo, the least you can do is say goodbye.” – Stefanie P.
4. “If I don’t respond the first time, I’m not interested. If I still don’t respond the second time, I’m still not interested. If I still don’t respond the third time, motherf***er GIVE UP.” – Jackie U.
5. “Own your height. Don’t say you’re 5’8″ if you’re in fact 5’5″. Please realize any physical myths you create will be debunked when we meet so let’s just play the hand we’ve been dealt, shall we?” – Christine S.
6. “I don’t need you to text me after our date asking if I got home safely. I got home safely.” – Anonymous
7. “Stop asking my friends about me. Just because we have mutual friends doesn’t mean I need you going to them and asking questions about me. That’s weird, dude.” – Gemma P.
8. “Stop asking me about my job. I don’t know you. I’m sick of guys asking personal questions before we’ve even met.” – Sade S.
9. “Stop sending me nudes. Unless I send you a nude (which I’m not saying I’d never do), keep yours to yourself.” – Amelia G.
10. “Good rule of thumb: If you won’t say it to me at a bar, don’t say it on Tinder.” – Emily A.
11. “Don’t post a picture that shows you with A) a girl or B) a baby—only to clear it up in your description that it’s not yours.” – Rebecca H.
12. “If we haven’t met in person yet, but are texting to set up plans, it’s always nice to have a bit of banter. However, don’t get carried away. I had a guy text me every single day before our first date, but since we hadn’t met yet, there wasn’t a lot to talk about. The texts ended up being awkward and straining, and that feeling carried over to our first date.” – Courtney K.
13. “Stop telling me about your hot beautiful wife who’s curious about a threesome. I am so goddamn tired of finding out about your hot, beautiful wives.” – Anna D.
14. “Don’t outright say any ‘dont’s’ or deal breakers right off the bat. For example, I see tons of guys say “If you come with drama/baggage/high maintenance, etc. swipe right.” So I happen to be none of those things. And I might be the ideal girl for you. But the fact that you’re expecting women to self-select their way out of your profile in order to defer to your preferences is problematic to me. So, even though I’m a pretty chill girl with minimal ‘drama’ as it were, I’m going to self-select my way away from your profile.” – Kami S.
15. “Don’t waste my time and I won’t waste yours. Be honest (about what you look like, about where you live, and about your intentions—or lack thereof). If it’s a game to you, have at it, but remember that the girl always wins.” – Meredith B.
