Bumble has considered itself a feminist online dating app from its very beginnings, being known for its key feature that women must initiate the conversation with men on the app.
However, recently there has been outrage over a male user, Connor, who abused a female user, Ashley, on the app after she asked him what he does for a living.
Ashley released the screenshots of the conversation, and the context speaks for itself:
What started off as a simple icebreaker from Ashley turned into full blown abuse from Connor.
Bumble has since banned Connor from using the app, and has released an open letter on their blog explaining their actions.
They explained the obvious – that most women work nowadays and this probably meant she was simply asking about his work day. And given that the CEO of Bumble is also a woman (Whitney Wolfe, who also co-founded Tinder), they aren’t taking a light stance when it comes to sexual harassment and equality.
“We can gather that she wasn’t hoping to figure out if your wallet was sizeable enough for her to move into your house and start cooking dinner for you after vacuuming your living room while you clock in a 9 to 5 work day. Instead, Ashley was (wait for it, Connor, because this is where things really get interesting), viewing herself as an equal.”
In response to his actions, they vowed to spread the word that it was not ok for men like him to speak to Ashley in this way, and that if they did, there would be consequences.
“We are going to expand our reach and make sure that women everywhere receive the message that they are just as empowered in their personal lives as they are in the workplace. We are going to continue to build a world that makes small-minded, misogynist boys like you feel outdated.”
Ashley has since reached back out to Bumble with a pleasant surprise for them because of their support…
Go girls!
