Bumble’s New Anti-Celibacy Ads Are Pulled After Online Controversy
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Following a rough start to the year and over 300 layoffs, Bumble is on a rocky journey of rediscovery. After founding CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd left the buzzy tech dating app in late 2023, new CEO Lidaine Jones took the helm in January, setting off a string of directional changes that presumably heralds a new era for the women-message-first app, starting with a string of ads featuring Known Internet Boyfriend (and Sabrina Carpenter’s literal boyfriend) Barry Keoghan.
In tandem with the launch of a string of new features, notably, it’s new “opening move” which finally ditches the women-message-first concept and instead allows for users to set prompts for others to respond to, Bumble released an ad featuring a woman swearing off dating in favor of becoming a nun, only to succumb to the lure of Bumble found on a secreted away phone. Billboards with taglines “You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer” and “Thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun” shortly followed.
The campaign is seemingly in conversation with recent trends around voluntary celibacy, a movement inspired by what some describe as a toxic dating environment that is often hostile toward women and femmes, as a way to take back bodily agency within this context. Though Bumble originally stood apart by attempting to undermine this dynamic by allowing women the first move, the dating app also fostered a community of fans and advocates among its users who touted a system designed to “empower” women.
The backlash was swift, many criticizing the ads as being ignorant of the wider societal and political factors that may lead women to choose celibacy. Even celebrities chimed in, like Julia Fox, who commented, “2.5 years of celibacy and never been better tbh.”
This week Bumble pivoted once again, removing the marquee commercial spot, along with announcing plans to remove the billboards in question. In a statement posted to Instagram, Bumble noted its “mistake” noting that “celibacy is the only answer when reproductive rights are continuously restricted” and that “for many, celibacy may be brought on by harm or trauma.”
The statement itself reveals a fundamental misunderstanding in its own core audience at the time when the ads were first conceived, and the value of its original founding premise. The statement continued, “Our ads referencing celibacy were an attempt to lean into a community frustrated by modern dating, and instead of bringing joy and humor, we unintentionally did the opposite.
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
