Dating apps

I decided last night that I'd might as well give dating apps a proper try, after booking a mixer with the company "Bored of Dating Apps". I figure, if I am going to go there, I'd might as well actually give dating apps a try, much as I hate the idea.

So, I've set up a profile on Hinge today. It's the least hookup-y one I know of. I have no idea if my profile is any good nor do I exactly care, at least not for the moment. Frankly, it was a struggle to even find six pictures because I essentially never take any (not of myself, at least).

Now, I've done a little bit of the swiping stuff. Not a great deal, because the problem I am having is that after two or three girls (and, I really don't like how objectified that use of the word is) I just feel I can't get into it, and stop.

As in, all of the girls there are attractive. They are fully made up and have all the witty prompts you're supposed to have, and all that. Yet, I just feel like every single one is angling for it. Now, of course they are: that is the entire point of the platform, but the problem is that I'm not really attracted to that. So I see a few girls with too much cleavage or made up and posing, pouting etc. and I sort of lose interest. I think so far I "swiped right" (liked, to use this platform's terminology) on one girl, who if I am honest I was not even that attracted to outside of looks.

As I've gone along the girls have got noticeably less visually captivating, but I still am not finding them attractive. Maybe it's just a mood thing, and I will get used to it in time; for now, I just really don't find this "look at me, aren't I so attractive" very appealing, and everybody seems to be like that. Probably, I even seem like that too.

I think I will "power through", and try to send more likes to girls and see if it can go from there. Of course, I'm going to stuck at the swiping stage (ugh) forever if I don't actually start sending out likes. This means almost giving up on how I actually feel, and pretending to myself just a little bit that foul is fair, because it will bring me onto the next stage of chatting, and then that will bring me onto dates which will probably actually be enjoyable.

Sigh. I'll stick with it for a few months (if I can) and see how it goes. I think I'll figure out the things like 'should I be more superficial and factor looks in or should I try to repress that side of it'. Basically, maybe it'll stop being quite so painful with time. Will update.