Black Woman, White Profile Exposes Racism in Online Dating
There is nothing as special as finding that special person that makes you see the world in a different yet meaningful way. It is hard but possible.
Most people often look for love in different ways and places. Some find it on online dating sites like AFF while others prefer to do it the old fashioned way of bumping into each other at parks, restaurants and even at the work place.
In general dating can be hard especially if it is online. As much as there are many online sites, it can be tricky to stay relevant and even be approached incognito. It is a free world but there are also loads of closet freaks out there from weirdoes to racists. You never know what you are getting into until you experience it.
A recent case of Black Canadian and PhD student Hadiya Roderique just proved that dating interracially can be hard. She claimed to have received many views with no messages. “People would look, but they wouldn’t touch in my case,” she said.
Ms. Roderique had just left a steady relationship wanted to try something new and decided on online dating, Tinder. She had, had no other experience online even with progressive open-minded sites like AFF. Although, her photos were great enough to attract suitable suitors, her quest did not go that well. She received little responses that did not amount to anything.
She only managed to get five messages in three days and one or two messages each day. She had expected people to be more open in Tinder especially about interracial dating.
This was not as per her expectations and that is why she decided to spice things up with her white friend’s photos, which actually proved that online dating can at times be racial. Her friend had worn the same clothes as her and had received almost the same views but this time she had got 47 messages in three days.
Ms. Roderique was shocked and decided to go a bit further and alter her own pictures so that she looked Caucasian. She ended up receiving more views with 64 messages in three days. She was even more popular as Caucasian than her real self and her friend.
“You always wonder what it is like on the other side and I lived it and found out. I was not expecting the difference to be that stark,” she added.
The only personal conclusion she had to make from her experience is that people of color were more likely to find online dating easier on niche sites or offline dating. Tinder for her was a no go zone.
“I think that people say one thing but act another way behind the secrecy and safety of their computer. You would think that you are being seen as a person, but this experiment was a signal that I wasn’t.”
But Ms. Roderique¢s case should not deter you from venturing into online dating. AFF is one great place to start. It is less judgmental and prejudicial and offers varied forms of casual and alternative dating.