Let me start this blog post with an important disclaimer: I’m terrible at all things relationships, which is why I’ll probably be eternally single. In no way am I a relationship expert. This is solely based on my own personal experiences. <br />
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Now, with that out of the way… Even though my relationship track record is not the best, I’m definitely very familiar with the game of 21st century dating, which now includes dating/hookup apps like Grindr and Tinder. There’s no other way to put it, other than... It’s brutal out there, especially if you’re a hopeless romantic — I hate to admit it — like myself. People are selfish and cutthroat, they’ll cut you out of their lives when you no longer are of use to them. Today’s tech, hook-up culture does not make dating any easier when you’re trying to find “the one.” It’s difficult to determine who wants a fling and who’s in it for the long run. If you’re looking for the latter, I’m going to highlight three reasons you should probably, more often than not, stick to Tinder and stay away from Grindr.<br />
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1. There will always be a face attached to a Tinder profile</p>
Since Tinder accounts are connected to a person’s Facebook account, the likelihood of running into a profile without a face picture is extremely low. In contrast, on Grindr — based off my eyeballing probability skills — I’d say close to 50 per cent of the profiles have either no picture or pictures with no faces. I don’t get it! For me, the most important feature of somebody’s body is their face. I love me a nice, defined jaw line. When one of these profiles message me on Grindr I instantly delete the message, because right of the bat you know they have no serious intentions. These people/accounts are not there to find or pursue anything serious. Let’s be honest, they’re there to score some discreet sex (which is totally fine, if you’re into that).
2. You won’t get instant, unwanted dick pics on Tinder
You know what’s great about Tinder? You only receive messages from people you're matched with, meaning you’ve mutually agreed to establish conversation. On Grindr, there have been a few occasions when, before even saying “Hey”, guys have already sent me nudes of themselves… WHY?! Some are classy enough to say hi first and then reveal what I usually like to visualize — after I’ve met them in person — using my imagination.
3. Those on Tinder, more often than Grindr, are looking for dates, not sex
I can only speak based on my own experience, but if it’s any indication, Tinder is definitely the app you want to use if you want to go out on dates to meet new people. I’ve only met one person on Grindr, who I found genuine enough to go out on two dates with, but quickly fizzled out into friendship. In contrast, with Tinder I managed to find four people I’ve at least gone out on a first date with, two of which I developed some sort of genuine connection with. With one of them, it could have led to something long-term if not for outside circumstances. To be honest, I’ve never fallen so hard for somebody after one first date and four to five days of spending everyday together. Maybe, just maybe (hoping here), if circumstances were different (you know not live 6 hours away from each other), things could have materialized into a successful relationship. I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m not for one a bit over this guy, and yes I’m a bit bitter. For those of you wondering, the other guy turned out to be a total douche.
These dating apps — yes even Grindr — provide us with another avenue to meet a new pool of people we probably wouldn’t get to meet in the conventional dating world. You’re going to have to filter through a lot of weeds, before you find that perfect, green pasture, but at the end of the day it might be worth it. Although I prefer Tinder, don’t limit yourself, and keep up hope, hopeless romantics! My quest to find somebody to commit to hasn’t been successful yet, but I’ve come darn close. It’s not only about finding somebody, but also about self-discovery. So if you’re single or feeling alone this upcoming Valentine’s Day, keep your chin up, and go watch 50 Shades of Grey with a friend. I mean, you never know who will sneak up into your life just in time for next year’s Valentines Day! Right?!
