We're seeing more and more people sharing pictures of themselves getting vaccinated on social media. Now, letting people know you've been vaccinated against COVID-19 is getting more popular on dating websites as well.
Dating website OkCupid has even added the question "will you get the COVID-19 vaccine?" to its matching questions. It says people who are answering “yes” are receiving 20% more likes and 12% more matches.
“Being vaccinated might be the new 6’ tall, so you know, would a 5’4” women date a man who's 5’8” or 5’9,” of course she would, I want to hope she would. Would she date someone who's not vaccinated? Well right now, she would, but six months down the line, or a year down the line, why is he not vaccinated yet? Was it his choice not to be vaccinated?” said Maria Avgitidis, a professional matchmaker and CEO of Agape Match.
Avgitidis says she could see dating apps adding emojis in the future to highlight you've been vaccinated, like they have for things now like, "do you want to have kids?"
Sociology professor Jennifer Reich has studied vaccine hesitancy. She says sharing your vaccine status on a dating site isn't just about letting someone know you're protected from COVID-19.
“It potentially signals people's approach to health care, to their relationship, to science, their trust and expertise. It can signal a lot of other kinds of things that might be an indication of whether someone shares some of your values and perceptions about things like their relationships, their community and their personal lifestyle,” said Reich at UC Denver.
In terms of sharing more information about ourselves on dating websites, Reich says information that was stigmatizing before COVID-19 is likely still going to be after.
But the matchmaker we spoke with does say people have gotten better at talking about their boundaries because of the pandemic.
“Maybe it started off with the mask talk, but now they can also talk about STDs, their expectations with sex, when were you last checked,” said Avgitidis.
She predicts Zoom dates are here to stay too. The hesitancy people had at the start of the pandemic has gone away and now it has really become a habit to see if you connect before meeting in person.
