Dating is changing. We don’t have meet-cutes in coffee shops or the gym, and we certainly don’t maintain prolonged romantic eye contact with strangers. Ours is the era of digital dating, where apps and websites like Tinder, Grindr, OkCupid, and Match.com prevail.
Now there’s Bumble. The app functions much the same as Tinder — swipe right across people’s Facebook-derived profiles to indicate interest, left to pass, and then send messages when you match up — but there’s one major difference: After you match, only the woman can make the first move. It’s the Sadie Hawkins of dating apps.
This is majorly progressive, as it challenges the tradition that men should always be the first to reach out. Whitney Wolfe, the company’s founder, hopes that the app’s unorthodox dynamic will help women work up the courage to pursue men. Wolfe also believes that the app will take some of the burden off of guys, as it lessens the pressure of making the perfect first move or losing a girl forever. Because the woman reaches out first, she is in control and expected to guide the conversation.