Bumble Says Bye-Bye To Body Shamers Once And For All (Jerks Beware)
Bumble has remained a favorite among singles for a few reasons, one of which is the app's unique approach to empowering its female users by requiring them to make the first move after a match.
The dating app is being praised again, but this time for its decision to crack down on any users who are engaging in body shaming on the platform.
Bumble Is Taking Steps To Further Secure Their Community
Bumble has always been pretty big on promoting a respectful community that is as safe as possible for its users.
Recently, they stated that they are taking another step to ensure the community's safety by introducing some new terms and conditions.
The App Is Banning Derogatory Comments Made About Someone's Body Or Appearance
According to a statement released by Bumble, moving forward, the app will "ban unsolicited and derogatory comments made about someone's appearance, body shape, size, or health."
The statement goes on to offer some more details.
Bumble's Definition Of Body Shaming Is All-Encompassing
"This includes language that can be deemed fat-phobic, ableist, racist, colorist, homophobic or transphobic."
Basically, if someone on the app is being a judgmental a**hole, Bumble is giving them the boot.
Body Shaming Is A Forced Negative Opinion
Body shaming occurs when one person forces their opinion about someone else's body onto them.
It comes in different forms but always sends the same message: Your body type is not the right one.
It Can Happen In Direct Messages Or Even On People's Profiles
It could be a comment in a conversation about someone's health or a demeaning Bumble bio that says a certain body type is undesirable or unacceptable.
There are really people out there who are willing to put shallow things in their bio like: "No big girls," or "If you're short don't talk to me." It's a bright red flag that makes them easy to avoid.
They Are Targeting Fat Shaming, Thin Shaming, Health Shaming, And More
Bumble elaborates further: "Body shaming includes fat shaming, health shaming, criticizing skin or hair, thin shaming, unsolicited opinions, and mocking someone's physical features."
There are a lot of ways that a stranger could make someone feel terrible about their body but the app is striving to eliminate this risk altogether.
Body Shaming Can Affect A Person's Mental Health
Nobody wants to put themselves out there on a dating app only to be shamed and embarrassed by some random jerk.
Body shaming can affect a person's mental health and even physical health in the future.
Avoid Talking About Each Other's Physical Qualities Altogether
If you're unsure about whether a comment will come across as body shaming, a good rule to follow is to avoid talking about someone else's body or personal health at all.
There are so many other things to talk about.
If You Aren't Feeling Someone, Just Swipe Left
Realistically, if you're not interested in someone you can just swipe left, you don't even have to interact.
That's the beautiful thing about dating apps, you don't owe anybody anything! If it's not working out you can unmatch them.
Users Who Violate The Terms Will Receive A Warning And Possibly Face A Ban
When someone violates the new body-shaming terms and conditions either in their profile or the chat feature, the user will receive a notification warning about their inappropriate behavior.
Repeated incidents or comments that are especially harmful will result in the user being banned from the platform.
There Are A Few Ways To Report And Block Someone
If you or a friend encounters a weirdo body shamer on the app you can easily report them using the functions in the app.
These include "Block & Report, Unmatch & Report, and Hide & Report." See ya never, jerk.