When confronted with strong female characters who are comfortable using their bodies as they deem fit, many modern men tend to shriek, whoop and cry at the existence of such beings (and for their own sake they’re not worth giving any more attention to.) But the fact that these women exist goes to show just how much the playing fields have changed. No more are we relegated to the phantasms of male beliefs. We’ve become less obsessed with typical monogamous relationships (and rightly so, uni demands make it really difficult for relationships to thrive or last longer than the duration of your degree.) Sometimes women are simply interested in platonic intimacy. If it happens to develop into anything more, an added bonus.
So, since the end of last year I’ve decided to break out of the everyday – to surprise myself with new experiences. Part of finding new experiences was finding new people to have these experiences with. But how? And where to meet them?
Tinder is one of those relatively daunting apps for a lot of people. It doesn’t have to be of course; there have been times when I’ve had wonderful experiences through Tinder. However, I sometimes find myself at a loss when I agree to go on a new Tinder escapade. It’s a lot like playing the lottery. Sometimes (and only sometimes) you hit it off with someone and there’s a beautiful connection from the get-go – and other times it’s just not there. Take one example: I met this guy on Tinder and all I knew about him was his name and the fact that he had a certain aversion to cherries. However, as I later learned, he turned out to be more than fine. He was a vibrant, energetic and crazy person. On a literary level we were soulmates. Sadly he was American and the whole thing was brief but I had total fun while it lasted.
One thing I’ve found from my Tinder experiences is that there is an element of making yourself stand out, and that on the app you’re forced into a role where you have to advertise yourself as an outstanding, remarkable human. When really, you’re just you. What makes it even more fun (or nerve wracking) is seeing how this casual exchange will play itself out as you negotiate the rocky terrain of how to be smart, funny, witty AND mark yourself as a potential bae/ friend/ soulmate/ f*ckbuddy/ insert whatever you’re there for.
Humans are humans. We come in all shapes, colours, backgrounds and lived experiences – platforms like Tinder provide a way for us to meet and get to know other colourful humans we may never have had the nerve to drop an upfront ‘hey’ to in reality. Here’s to embracing the unknown and the possibility of maybe’s.