This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bates chapter.
As is the case with many women who use dating apps, I’ve experienced my fair share of gross interactions. Whether it’s a guy who immediately offers to send me a picture of his junk, some horrific pickup line, or a threat to stalk me (and I don’t mean that in a joking way) (side note: stalking is never something to joke about), interactions on Tinder/Bumble/insert other dating app here can be nasty.
As such, I’ve compiled a list of best practices for responding to these things.
- Don’t. Simply don’t respond. And if you’re so inclined, unmatch with the person so you don’t have to deal with them again.
- Reply with a snarky comment. I’m sure most people have seen those lists of responses by women who are fed up with harassment online, so take a cue from them and make sure the person on the other end understands you have no interest in being treated poorly.
- Hit them back with an emoji to tell them how you really feel. Some good choices include the following: ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, and, of course, the classic “middle finger up.”
- Use a fun gif to spice things up. This is especially effective if the other person had started with a gif. Might as well keep the rhythm going, right? Good luck!