A woman who used Tinder to dupe more than 200 men into joining a public dating competition in New York City says that instead of being a social media stunt, the prank was about sharing “an important message.”
“We are using our phones on a day-to-day basis and kind of just setting these high expectations and high standards for everyone,” Natasha Aponte told CTV News Channel. “I think the message behind it is how can we stop doing that online and just be more open to the human experience and just universal love. And I think that people in Tinder are very cruel.”
Aponte cites how people who use the popular online dating app often have strict preferences when it comes to things such as race, height and politics.
“We just wanted to showcase that and say that this is wrong… whether it’s online or in real life,” she explained. “As a woman or a man, you have this idea of the person you’re meant to be with, or you’re supposed to be with, and in actuality that person might be something completely out of your expectations.”
A video of the stunt was produced and filmed by Rob Bliss, who also shot a widely-viewed catcalling video in 2014.
In the dating video, which was filmed in Manhattan’s Union Square Park on Aug. 19, Aponte weeds out potential suiters for characteristics such as being too short or wearing khakis before having the remaining men compete in events such as foot races in order to land a date with her.
All of the men had arrived in the park thinking that they were about to go on a one-on-one date.
“All it is is just the vehicle between two people, right?” Bliss said of dating apps such as Tinder, which he uses. “I think as our technology improves, we’re able to connect with more people but at the same time we’re losing in empathy and so that’s what we’re emphasizing.”
With files from The Associated Press
