Bumble’s Anti-Celibacy Campaign Sparks Internet Ire

With 79% of American women feeling ‘burnt out’ by online dating (Forbes, 2024), Bumble, which initially won users by asking women to make the first move, teased fans with a rebrand. In anticipation, its Instagram grid was replaced with historical paintings depicting apathetic women, with captions humorously describing their exhaustion with dating.

But Bumble’s next step was a slew of (now recalled) billboards emblazoned with “A vow of celibacy is not the answer” and “Thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun”. The campaign sparked warranted criticism from TikTok and Reels users for chastising women for choosing to step back from romance – many of whom do so in response to the rampant abuse and harassment experienced by 33% of online daters (BBC, 2022).

One viral TikTok video (900k+ views and 110k likes) from US creator @emangetalife highlighted how the campaign delegitimised women’s choices in favour of men having more access to women’s bodies. She captioned her video #4bmovement, referencing a current South Korean movement gaining traction online in which women abstain from marriage, childbirth, romance and sexual relationships in protest against a patriarchal society.

Bumble’s attempt at anti-celibacy ‘humour’ inadvertently alienated its target demographic – highlighting the risks in adopting internet-coded messaging without more nuanced pop-cultural literacy (see Internet Trends 101: Girlhood for more on keying into women-centric internet culture). Since the controversy, Bumble announced its purchase of US ‘group chat’ app Geneva (which enables users to join local group chats based on their shared interests), illustrating the brand’s intention to broaden its remit to platonic friendship.

See Brand Reinventions: 5 Strategies to Reboot Engagement for examples of successful brand reinventions.