Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Life
    2. Relationships

    Is THIS Why We're All So Hooked On Tinder?

    If you're not on Tinder, we bet most of your friends are. The app has become huge this year, and introduced younger women to the joys of online dating.

    By Francesca Rice
    Published 28 November 2013 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Whitney Wolfe
    Whitney Wolfe
    (Image credit: Victor Colomes)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    If you're not on Tinder, we bet most of your friends are. The app has become huge this year, and introduced younger women to the joys of online dating.

    We've spoken to Whitney Wolfe, who is Tinder's VP of Marketing and helped set the whole thing up, to find out why we're all so hooked...

    1. Women have resonated with Tinder because they have control.

    'Women love Tinder because they cannot be bombarded or overwhelmed. The ball is in their court, and they determine who they want to connect with. Often in life or even on social media, girls feel overwhelmed by being approached when they don't want to be. There is also no fear of rejection. When you get a match, you know that the other person has already expressed a mutual interest, which makes saying hello much less intimidating. Linking Tinder to Facebook also establishes trust and makes it a very honest experience because Facebook does a wonderful job of keeping their user profiles authentic.'

    2. Tinder emulates real life.

    You may like
    • Analog Times - Wine and cards game night on luxurious burgundy fabric - TVS The Gambling Industry's Newest Bet? Women
    • Obsession is a 2025 American supernatural psychological horror film The Horror of Having a Crush in the Social Media Age
    • Milly Goldsmith “I’ve Never Had A Boyfriend”: Milly Goldsmith On Being “Chronically Single”

    'When you walk into a coffee shop or a restaurant the first thing you notice about someone is their physical appearance, and Tinder is designed to give our users the same experience. Once you decide that you want to connect with someone on Tinder based on mutual friends, common interests and photos, you can then begin to chat with your match and connect on a deeper level.'

    3. Tinder's emphasis is on looks, but it's not that superificial. Honest.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    'The first thing you notice about a person when you meet them is their physical appearance, before you get to know their personality. On Tinder, you are shown a picture and you have the opportunity to learn more right away. A photo is worth a thousand words - maybe the person is wearing a t-shirt of your favourite band or doing an activity you love. We also show you mutual friends and interests, which helps give you more context.'

    4. It actually seems to be working.

    'I'm in a relationship and we actually flirted for the first time on Tinder! We had already met each other but when we matched on Tinder it really changed the context of how we saw each another and gave us the atmosphere to get to know each other better. All of my friends use Tinder. It's a great tool for socialising, and making new friends and contacts. A lot of my friends are in very serious relationships because of Tinder, while others have used it to make friends in new cities. We hear of at least one new marriage proposal per day - it's pretty incredible!'

    5. Tinder empowers women.

    'It's the perfect ice breaker because it allows a woman to feel confident enough to say hello first because she has the peace of mind of knowing that there is mutual interest on the other end.'

    What do you think? Have you tried Tinder? Do you agree with Whitney Wolfe? We'd love to know your thoughts in the comment box below...

    Francesca Rice
    Social Links Navigation
    Read more
    Analog Times - Wine and cards game night on luxurious burgundy fabric - TVS
    Money and Work The Gambling Industry's Newest Bet? Women
    Obsession is a 2025 American supernatural psychological horror film
    Life The Horror of Having a Crush in the Social Media Age
     
     
    Milly Goldsmith
    Relationships “I’ve Never Had A Boyfriend”: Milly Goldsmith On Being “Chronically Single”
    Shakira performs at Todo Mundo no Rio in Rio de Janeiro
    Travel Are We Travelling to See Places, or Become Someone Else While We're There?
     
     
    Latest in Relationships
    Wedding planning
    Relationships I Love My Fiancé, but I Resent the Emotional Labour of Planning Our Wedding
    Wicker husband: Alexander Skarsgård and Olivia Coleman in the new film Wicker
    Relationships Move Over Regular Men and AI Boyfriends, The “Wicker Husband” Has Arrived
     
     
    Emotionally Unavailable Men: Jacob Elordi and Margot Robbie in Wuthering Heights
    Relationships Why Are We Still Glamourising Emotionally Unavailable Men?
    Broken disco ball smashed to pieces on the floor. Black and white for a dramatic touch. Shiny backdrop is defocused.
    Relationships Why Do Men Ruin Your Birthday?
     
     
    Latest in Features
    Michelle Obama Liffner bag
    Fashion Michelle Obama Just Wore the Sophisticated Bag Brand Every Fashion Insider is Obsessed With
    Poppy Wang
    Fashion 5 Experts Explain the Nuances of the ‘Mandarin Jacket’ Trend
     
     
    Erborian Triple Care BB Milk
    Skincare I Thought My Dull, Lifeless Skin Needed More Actives—This Milky Essence Was Actually the Solution
    Freelance Health Writer Ellie-Mae Hammond trying the science-backed art of visualising a better future: Her journals
    Wellbeing I Tried the Science-Backed Art of Imagining a Better Future—What Happened to My Motivation, Confidence and Goals
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.