It was Fourth of July weekend, and I was feeling frisky. So I decided to spend some of my time tindering through Destin, Florida.
Tindering (v) tihn-der-ing: the act of swiping left or right dependent on immediate attraction to another human's low quality picture(s) whilst on the quest for love. If interested, further research may be acquired by skimming a short bio.
Examples include (but not limited to):
“Let’s get drunk on the beach somewhere” –Peter
“War damn eagle, and lets make America great again. Trump for president” –Brad
“I like stuff. I like doing things. Kinda intellectual” – Tyler
“Swipe the way you vote” –Randy
“Mike plays 72 different musical instruments…he speaks 16 languages fluently… he ranks first in laser tag and good looks… he invented that chariot thing for crippled dogs.. he currently serves on the board of a fortune 500 company… which is probably why he won’t return your calls…” –Mike
“Not an a******. That’s good enough” -Dave
My time on Tinder was a blessed one. I was free of the responsibility to smile, I was able to be impress people without having to put on makeup or brush my hair. Rather than having to talk about my past or my personality, I could simply show it to men with five of my best pictures where I looked cute, fun, flirty, smart, sweet, silly, quirky, and interesting!
My results were very interesting. On my first day using Tinder in Destin, I matched with 45 people. Around 1:00 a.m., I was telling my roommate about my findings of the day. She gave me some encouragement (that I really needed to hear). She told me to “up" my standards”, and from there I began to revisit some of my matches and explain to her why each one seemed like a viable option.
Sammy’s profile said he was 21, then his bio said he was actually 18. There’s a man possibly with multiple identities and definitely some great stories to tell.
I had a match who looked mid-40’s on his picture. Through some brief conversation I found out he was not a dad. (as far as he knew) and that he was selling real estate in florida. Some use Tinder for hook ups, some use it for business connections. Both are honorable decisions.
I matched with a stud named Alec. His intro was complimentary and grammatically incorrect.
Some of my best matches in Destin were the ones that gave me a fiery pickup line that left me feeling confident and empowered.
And some guys took the direct approach. I applaud their chutzpah.
Thank you Tinder and thank you Destin. You’ve shown me a new side to dating that is honest and encouraging. As the great poet once said, “The tans may fade, but the Tinder matches will be recorded forever.”
*Some names have been changed to respect my tinder lovers*
