Grindr got you down? Good news! There’s an anti-Grindr Instagram account to help lift your spirits back up again.
@QuitGrindr offers inspirational messages to gay men who are on the fence about deleting the popular hookup app. “You didn’t come out of the closet to get stuck in a matchbox,” the profile page urges. “#quitgrindr.”
Related: Surprise! Dating apps make men more shallow and depressed, study reveals
A recent study from the University of North Texas found that guys who use dating apps like Tindr are more likely to have suffer from lower self-esteem and body image issues. Nevertheless, we persist. Deleting the apps then re-downloading them then deleting them again then re-downloading them again. It can be a vicious cycle.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Related: Dating apps are turning people into sex addicts, doctor warns
But @QuitGrindr says enough is enough! In addition to the Instagram account, it also has a blog with tips on how to overcome dating app addiction.
Scroll down to see why you should consider quitting Grindr…
ChrisK
How about just turning it off every now and then. Some of these guys must live there.
Smith David
True! Anyway, my kind isn’t allowed on grindr(black/educated). So, I can only imagine that there are only white robots on the app now. Look, I say, if the app works for you, and you’re happy. Stay connected. Just stay happy. Who cares what other people think.
Creamsicle
The one about expanding your horizons is hilarious. The tissue one is a little funny since it’s a sly masturbation joke, but it’s also reminiscent of every abstinence only educator who came through my high school, and those “disposability” messages can sometimes damage people more than help them.
Elizabeth Smart specifically remembered the lesson she got about non-virginity being likened to a chewed up piece of gum while she was being raped over and over again in captivity for years, and was convinced that nobody could ever love her after what had been done to her.
I’m down for every one of these that is either about being fed up, or that remains sex positive, but these disposability arguments are really hurtful since they always tell you that the more sex you have the less you are worth as a person, and that’s simply not true.
Crystix
Thank god we have some queen to shame us into deleting grindr. Some of the pictures are cute, but others make me worry for the poster’s mental health.
Its like a vegan who believes everyone else in the world needs to stop eating meat. Keep posting those pictures of slaughtered cows, Clarice. I’m still gon enjoy this steak.
jd.cali
I don’t think the account is trying to shame Grindr users. I think he is making a very valid point and if nothing is encouraging a healthy discussion about Grindr and the like apps.
No one can deny there is a very real toxicity to these apps -gay or straight. It has nothing to do with shaming casual sex for instance but rather the dehumanizing element to it. I’ve used it for years and I have felt it. I don’t think or promote getting rid of or not using a casual dating app and I completely agree it has be used and can be a very healthy experience. But it takes a very strong person to overlook the rude, callous and depressing behavior that is simply there.
It’s an important discussion and could produce a healthier environment and experience with it.
ChrisK
I have to admit there sure is allot of mentally unbalanced people on it. It’s like an attractant for them. If you stay there too long or you let it get to you then yes. It can be very unhealthy.
OzJosh
Or how about actively trying to change the toxic culture of Grindr? A good starting point would be to simply refuse to send nudes pix, and refrain from asking for them. The whole notion of needing to check out somebody’s junk before meeting them, even explicitly for a no-strings sexual encounter, is just bizarre and repulsive. Pre-Grindr, I don’t recall any guys who met in bars or clubs insisting on a penis preview before heading for the bedroom. Some might even have discovered to their great delight that a penis doesn’t have to be nine inches to perform spectacularly.
startenout
I really don’t see why we’re acting like Grindr is that different from gay bar culture. If you don’t fit a certain (size, race, age) mold at any of the different bars in NYC, you’re invisible…you just pay for overpriced drinks and can’t be in your underwear. Well, at most bars. haha
jazz23
We all need the Instagram free followers online and it is all set to get the followers here.