Let's Talk About "Maskfishing" and Why This Dating App Trend Should Actually Be a Major Turn-On
It’s recently come to my attention that a new trend called “maskfishing” seems to be infiltrating dating apps everywhere. And while you can probably use ~context clues~ to guess what it means, it’s “the phenomenon of wearing a mask to appear more attractive than you actually are,” according to Urban Dictionary.
Apparently the intent behind maskfishing is to lure in other singles by hiding your true appearance bottom half of your face. And it’s even such A Thing that one dating app implemented a “No Maskfishing Mandate,” which bans users from posting exclusively masked-up photos on their profiles. Interesting.
But, hi, newsflash people: We’re in a global fucking health pandemic. I want you to be in a mask. Seeing a photo of you masked-up on a dating app is 100 percent going to make me more likely to Swipe Right on you than any photo of your abs could.
Obviously I don’t endorse any form of deception on dating apps. But is wearing a mask seriously the biggest problem we need to be concerned about? What about wokefishing? Or sexual harassment? Or men who think they’re something special because they don’t believe pineapple belongs on pizza?
I can’t speak for everyone, but I know for a lot of women, we have to filter through plenty of bullshit on apps that's more of a dealbreaker than whatever's underneath someone's mask.
And a reminder, in case anyone needs it: There are so many more important things that factor into attraction and someone's ability to be a good partner beyond the appearance of the bottom half of their face, lol.
Plus, why are we assuming that people with masks on are trying to conceal something? If I saw this on a dating app, my personal assumption would be that this person is doing the bare minimum to show that they care about other people. That in of itself is enough to get my libido talking.
And not to make things political, but to make things political: In the year 2020, knowing if someone wears a mask—and believes the science behind why wearing a mask is super freaking important— is crucial. It’s quite possibly one of the few things I need to know about a match in order to feel confident initiating a conversation.
Your music taste, favorite ice cream flavor, what you’re Netflixing right now = completely irrelevant to me if you can’t get down with wearing a mask.
If I see you in your photos wearing a mask, I don't have to dive into the "So, what're your thoughts on this whole COVID-19 thing?" hole. It makes things much easier.
I’m not saying you need to be wearing a mask in all of your pictures. I’m not even saying you need a photo with a mask on. But I’m for sure not going to think less of you for wearing one. And I'm not sure why dating apps are banning profiles of people wearing them.
So let me end by making things crystal, crystal clear: A picture with a mask would mean wayyyyy more to me than whatever could lie beneath the mask. I literally don't care what you look like so much as we can watch Pen15, openly communicate in ways besides Snapchat, and share a mutual concern for the health of those around us.
And if wearing a mask is the bare minimum, uploading a picture of you in said mask is an absolute bonus.
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