Beard-baiting is the latest dating app trend and apparently it's the key to more matches

Finding a fling or long-term thing in 2020 has not been an easy feat. Many singles decided to virtually date during the coronavirus lockdown and enjoyed socially distanced dates once things started to ease, and a lot of Brits headed straight to the dating apps. Tinder saw over 3 billion swipes in March following the government restrictions.

The new way to date became known as iso-mating, but the pre-Covid dating trends still prevailed (ghosting isn't going anywhere it seems).

And now there is yet another to consider when picking a potential partner: beard-baiting.

While selecting the perfect picture isn't always easy, it seems that a number of men are choosing to share photos of themselves with their newly grown beards in order to get more matches.

Oh yes, according to DMARGE it's a thing. Guys are apparently showing off the facial hair they acquired during lockdown in an attempt to find romance - and it has reportedly been very successful, touted as 'the push up bra for men' as it accentuates the jawline and looks 'more masculine'.

Relationship Expert and Advisor to Australia's The Bachelor told the site that although it could be deemed as an 'ethical dilemma she believes it 'makes things fair' as women 'wear make up, they get their hair blow-dried, spray tans, fake eyelashes, nails, filters on social media, contouring smaller noses.'

Science also says that beards make men more attractive - despite the fact that they reportedly carry more germs than a dog - with a recent study claiming that we're more likely to seek out a stubbly soulmate for a longterm relationship.

So if you're more likely to date someone with facial hair, you might find yourself swiping right more often as a wave of beardy men appear on your dating app of choice.

And if they don't, you can always try Bristlr.