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Bumble apologizes for its anti-celibacy ad fumble
Bumble is pulling the billboard ads and says they were a “mistake.”
After updating its app and brand design in April to try to attract new users who are “ exhausted from the dating scene,” Bumble ran a series of billboard ads containing messages like “You know full well a vow of celibacy is not the answer,” and “Thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun.” The company faced swift backlash across social media from users who condemned the ads for delegitimizing celibacy as a valid personal choice. Women have also started embracing celibacy as a means to protest rigid gender roles, sexism, and sexual violence, such as South Korea’s 4B feminist movement, which renounces sex with men, marriage, and having children. The company announced plans to lay off 350 employees back in February, and its share price has tumbled by roughly 45 percent since last July as young adults opt to make connections in person or via social media instead of through dating apps.
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