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Bumble Is Sorry for Ads That Mock Celibacy
May 15, 2024
The dating app Bumble dropped the ball when it came to a new ad campaign that mocked the choices of celibacy and abstinence as a long-term dating solution.
The company apologized for the blunder on social media days after users began to criticize Bumble’s new taglines online. Billboards were seen for the dating app with the message, “A vow of celibacy is not the answer. Introducing the new Bumble.”
Tag lines included, “You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer” and “Thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun.”
After receiving backlash for the ad campaign, the company posted the following message on Instagram: “We made a mistake. Our ads referencing celibacy were an attempt to lean into a community frustrated by modern dating, and instead of bringing joy and humor, we unintentionally did the opposite.”
The statement continued, “For years, Bumble has passionately stood up for women and marginalized communities and their right to fully exercise personal choice. We didn’t live up to these values with this campaign and we apologize for the harm it caused.”
Buble stated that the ad might have offended people who are celibate because reproductive rights are diminishing across the nation, people who are celibate by choice, and people who are asexual.
CBS News reports that the company is removing its anti-celibacy messaging from its global marketing efforts and donating to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (The Hotline) and other organizations that support marginalized communities.
In late 2023, Bumble remained profitable. For the third quarter, the company reported net income of $23.1 million on revenue of $275.5 million.
Bumble was launched in 2014. It billed itself as the dating app where “women always make the first move,” a nod to its approach of letting women message male matches first.
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