Bumble's 'celibacy' ad and how its rebrand went wrong

People on TikTok took issue with the messaging, labeling it "tone-deaf" and offensive — particularly to those who had chosen a celibate lifestyle as a result of trauma.

Some said the ads were misogynistic and were chastising women for not casually sleeping with men.

But in attempting to make light of a social climate in which, as they worded it in their apology, “a community” (read: women) “are frustrated by modern dating,” Bumble ended up, inadvertently or not, mirroring the language many women experience when they tell men they are not interested. The sexless, “crazy cat lady” trope is a tale as old as time,... See more

the dating industry at large is perpetually badgering single people to redownload, buy premium subscriptions, and remain in the romantic marketplace. This begs the question: Has a celibate woman become more threatening than a sexual one?