It’s 2018, so why is there still a lot of judgment surrounding different ways that people meet each other? The ways that I am referring to are online means — Tinder, Bumble, Plenty of Fish. All of these dating apps are easily accessible and can be a lot of fun.
While a lot of people are on these apps for “hookups”, there are a lot of users who are looking for an actual, genuine connection, or at least open to the idea of one. I had downloaded Tinder sometime in the September of my freshman year at college (because I was actually of age to use the app) and it was more so for the hell of it. I was not that into the hookup scene and I was not really looking for a relationship, so basically my motto was “whatever happens, happens”.
After dealing with a less than mediocre f*#!boy, I had started to use the app actively again. This is when I met another less than mediocre f*#!boy. He came in, told me all the unoriginal B.S., acted like he wanted a relationship, but then blamed it on his fraternity, saying he “was not allowed to have a relationship”. It’s fine — less than mediocre boy #2 was not my type anyway. And now my friends and I call him Squishy because he looks like the character from Monsters University, so it’s funny and now we get to make a joke out of it. *shrugging girl emoji*
So, I was not very hopeful for Tinder at this point, but I kept using it, swiping left and right every day, casually. It was around Halloweekend 2017, I was still swiping my love life around left and right, not looking or hoping for anything, and then I got a message:
“If you had three wishes, what would they be?”
When I got the message, it caught me by surprise because the messages were usually either “Hey” or they would say something less than tasteful. It made me think, and it was adorable. I’m not sure what I responded with — probably something about wanting dogs or wanting to help people, but it sparked the conversation. A day after talking, I went out to a party and I was not messaging this boy, so — his words, not mine — he thought I was “not interested”, even though I was just out and partying for Halloween. But despite this thought, we continued talking more and more, into November. We went on a few dates — one to iPlay America and another to Olive Garden (my favorite) and we would always hang out with my friends in my dorm or we’d just chill.
I was very hesitant at first with the whole thing because my past experiences with college aged men were not very exceptional. I was always scared of being hurt or losing him because I was starting to gain feelings, and that alone was terrifying. But he always had a way of reassuring me and making me feel okay about everything. We had continued talking for a month or so and then, we started to date on Nov. 18, 2017.
Photo Credited to Dana Breslau
Coming up on almost a year (in 13 days to be exact), I would not change the way we met for the world. I believe we are meant to be and we met for a reason. Although, we were going to be at the same street fair a few weeks before we started to talk, I just ended up not going to that. That makes me believe that we were meant to be even more. This isn’t just a Tinder hookup or a small fling — we are in a committed and long term relationship that we are striving to make better everyday. Sure, we have little arguments like every other couple, but that’s just what makes us, us.
I always felt judged for saying that my boyfriend and I of almost a year met on Tinder, but the reality is that it’s just the new age. Online dating has become so popular in the last few years and it’s just another way for people to meet for any kind of reason. Love exists everywhere! So, the next time one of your girlfriends tell you that they’re going out with a guy from Tinder, obviously make sure she’s going to be safe, but be open to the idea! It could be the start to the greatest thing to come into her life.