A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

A Guide to All Creative Directors

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Dating apps are standing against Trump's policies

The collaboration with Willy Chavarria at Paris Fashion Week and the decision to defend gender identity

Dating apps are standing against Trump's policies  The collaboration with Willy Chavarria at Paris Fashion Week and the decision to defend gender identity

During Paris Fashion Week Men’s, Willy Chavarria made his official debut on the calendar. The Californian designer chose to showcase a political collection at a critical time for the United States and all minorities. The newly elected president Trump, who during his campaign had promised to launch «the largest deportation program in American history», announced during his inauguration at the White House that «from now on, the policy of the U.S. government will be that there are only two genders: male and female». He then signed an executive order against «gender ideology» and ordered federal agencies to «require that government-issued identification documents, including passports, visas, and Global Entry cards, accurately reflect the holder’s sex». Alongside a collection that championed the values of inclusivity, diversity, and intersectionality, Chavarria collaborated with Tinder and the non-governmental organization Human Rights Campaign (HRC). For Tinder’s Chief Marketing Officer, Melissa Hobley, the collaboration represents an opportunity to support the app’s mission of breaking down barriers. «With over 20% of our new users identifying as queer, we are proud to create a space where everyone can express themselves authentically», added Hobley. At a time when an entire country refuses to acknowledge the value of gender identity, dating apps are stepping in to help. 

The new socio-political decisions Trump is imposing on the United States present dating apps with a unique growth opportunity in a time when romance, sex, and love relationships are at an all-time low. From the “relationship recession” recently discussed by the Financial Times to the rise of polyamorous relationships, from the spread of “situationships” to dating app addiction, despite 2024 being a record year for Tinder, Hinge, and Grindr, which reached their highest number of users ever, loneliness seems to share the same user base as dating apps. Some companies have already stepped forward: in an interview with Wired, a representative of Match Group (which owns OkCupid, Tinder, Hinge, Meetic, Match, and many other dating apps) stated that the company «will not make any changes to its apps» regarding the ability to indicate one’s gender identity on their profile. This statement is a strong stance, especially considering that Meta, in contrast, has adhered to Trump’s policies by promptly halting fact-checking on all its platforms. 

In a context where the most powerful figures in the United States—Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Donald Trump, whose shared power is ironically referred to as “broligarchy”—are persistently leaning toward ultra-conservative policies, minorities no longer have safe spaces, neither in real life nor online. The only platforms where some degree of protection still exists are dating apps: Tinder still has the “beyond binary” option, Hinge offers the “non-binary” choice, while Bumble allows users to choose from nineteen gender options. Now that America is approaching the ban on TikTok and as Facebook, Instagram, and X follow Trump’s every move, dating apps have no choice but to take advantage of the situation and expand their platforms. Apart from organizing romantic dates, it is said that some people are already using Grindr and Tinder to find jobs and make friends, much like LinkedIn. After participating in Paris Fashion Week alongside Willy Chavarria, is it finally time for dating apps to become true social networks, including influencers and content creators?