THIS SHOULD BE YOUR PHOTOS ON YOUR DATING PROFILE

Anyone who is serious about Tinder or Happn knows that the selection process is brutal. The first impression is your photo, so if it doesn't meet the standards, you get a ruthless swipe to the left. So I asked the most avid male dating app users I know: “Which photo has the most success and which one does not?”

Rule 1

“No group photos.” The respondents were quite unanimous about this. “And definitely not the opening photo.” Not only is it annoying because you don't immediately know who it is, but it also seems like you prefer not to show yourself “because you think you're too ugly.” Those are his words, not mine.

Rule 2

“No animal photos.” A woman with a cat immediately gets labeled as a “crazy lonely cat lady” and that is not exactly attractive. Furthermore, a pet is “a hassle” and often “gross.” What no one said but what I suspect is that they also don't like not being in first place right from the start. A bunch of egotists, those men.

Rule 3

“If you want a lot of swipes to the right, you need to show your tits.” After my shocked look, it was toned down to: “Well, I mean a little cleavage. Yes, look, with these kinds of apps, it’s all about appearance at first. If you don’t like that, then you shouldn’t use it.” Noted.

Rule 4

“No duckfaces and that kind of crap.” Seems clear to me.

Rule 5

“Make sure not all your photos are taken from the same angle. It looks like you have something to hide and we don’t like that.” I get that too, if you see yourself in exactly the same way seven times, it smells fishy. Swipe left it is.

Rule 6

Opinions differ on the number of photos, but generally, it’s better to have a few good photos than eight mediocre ones.

Rule 7

And text, does that need to be there? “If you have good photos, you don’t need text anymore and the rest will follow naturally. If you have to rely solely on your inner self, you’re on the wrong medium.” Again, not my words, friends.