Switched my profile pictures after a friend told me to smile less and it actually worked

I used to have all these pictures with big cheesy smiles thinking that's what guys wanted to see. After 3 months of almost no matches on Bumble my buddy said my photos looked fake like I was trying too hard. So I swapped most of them for pictures where I'm just looking normal or laughing at something real. One is me holding a coffee cup mid-conversation at a shop in Portland. Matches went from maybe 1 a week to 4 in the first 3 days. Anyone else find that forced smiles kill your vibe in profile pics?

3 comments

3 Comments

amy_west1mo ago

Huh, people really put this much thought into a profile pic? I guess it works but it's just a dating app, not a job interview.

the_thomas1mo ago

That "fake like I was trying too hard" part really hits home. I remember showing my sister my hinge pics and she said I looked like I was afraid the camera was gonna break. Swapped out the posed beach smile for a shot of me genuinely laughing at a friends joke and suddenly my inbox wasn't a ghost town anymore. It's wild how much a forced smile screams "hey I'm performing" instead of "hey this is literally just me existing.

calebc401mo agoMost Upvoted

Right on, same thing happened to me with a candid shot of me cooking and suddenly matches poured in.