Whether it's Tinder, Bumble or Grindr, putting yourself out there on a dating app with a selection of carefully curated photos and a witty one-liner is no mean feat.
For some, online dating can result in budding romances, romcom-inspired one night stands and occasionally an 'I do' moment.
For others, however, it can be an eye-rolling or even upsetting experience, after one too many unsolicited dick pics and other abuses of the technology.
So, that's exactly why Bumble has written an open letter to one doofus of a man, explaining why his bad behaviour merited a ban from the app.
Bumble's decision comes after users Samantha and Michael recently connected on Bumble.
All good so far, right?
Well, that was until ol' Mick sent his match a photo of another woman and said he'd only date her if she looked more like the girl in the snap.
'So you see the girl in the pic? That what you could look like if you put a tiny bit of effort out in the gym, thank me later,' wrote Michael.
He then went on to write that he's a 10 out of 10 (side note, he's not), while she's a five or six but with his advice 'I could put you to a 7'.
When the messages were eventually shared with Bumble, the dating app blocked Michael and even wrote him an open letter, berating him for daring to fat-shame one of their users.
One paragraph from the letter reads: 'Who taught you how to talk like that? Do you think that the "security" of hiding behind a screen gives you permission to degrade people you don't know? Maybe you didn't know, but we hold people accountable for their actions.'
They added:
'Listen, you've caught us in a moment where we are particularly aware of harassment and are ready to stop it dead in its tracks. You see, you attacked someone who belongs to our community, and in doing so you attacked more than just one woman — you ultimately attacked our values and philosophy as a community.'
Its last line?
'Things are getting better, our world is gaining harmony, and you will miss out on all of the incredible beauty that equality has to offer.'
Bumble ended the letter with 'see you never'.
Having received Bumble's epic letter, Michael reportedly told The Tab that he and his friends were 'highly intoxicated' and 'decided to take each other's phones and write messages to matches on each other's bumble'.
Yes, because that makes it okay then...
'That being said, it was an irresponsible position to put myself into and what we were doing was completely stupid and has resulted in a really sweet girl being disrespected by dumb actions,' he added.
Whatever, Michael, see you never.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
