Feeld users complain the kink dating app has been taken over by vanilla men: Casual sex is now kinky
Playing the “feeld” is losing its allure.Feeld, “the dating app for open-minded individuals,” has been lauded by its users as a safe space for sexual openness, honesty and communication.“Feeld showed me that there are men out there who can exist in a way that is fully rooted in equity and respect,” Emily, 28, who asked to go by her first name for privacy reasons, told Mashable.
But some kinky folks are now complaining the app has become too mainstream as it’s being infiltrated by heterosexual “vanilla” men seeking casual, basic sex — and putting more women in harm’s way.The app — which gives users 20 sexualities and 19 genders to choose from — was originally launched in Britain in 2014 as 3nder by Dimo Trifonov and his partner, Ana Kirova as an app to allow people to express themselves sexually with everything from BDSM to group sex.Since then, it’s slowly grown in popularity over the last decade with a major spike in downloads coming in over the past few years.
In the last three years Feeld’s monthly active users rose 190% and paid memberships surged 550%, Fast Company reported.While some users might appreciate having more options, many card-carrying kinksters have complained that the influx of new users has watered down the dating pool.Sabrina, 27, who asked to use a pseudonym, told Dazed Digital is concerned about the trend.“It’s not about gatekeeping or shaming people for being vanilla,” she said.“It can be a safety issue if people don’t understand the importance of safe words and aftercare.
Most of the time it comes back to men not respecting women and equating kink with casual sex or engaging in risky acts like choking and impact play without understanding how to do it safely.”Sabrina joined the app several years ago to find a kinky romantic partner but believes it has become “harder to find single people with kinks who are open to a long-term relationship.” “Someone on Feeld recently asked me to send a list o...