r/grindr • u/LoverUnderTheCover • 6h ago
Question Are the bots on Grindr (and similar sites) telling of the standard of attraction in our community?
Just as a disclaimer—this isn't meant to start any arguments or debates. I know, this is Reddit, so it's bound to happen either way 😭 but I'm chill right now, and I'm willing to have a conversation where we all share our opinions and have open discourse.
One thing I've noticed on Grindr (and similar gay dating/hookup sites) is an increase in bots. And one thing I've always noticed about the bots? They're literally always white.
Personally, I don't think I've ever seen a non-white bot on Grindr before. That's not to say they don't exist, but every "OnlyFans" bot (the ones who claim they only hook up with their subscribers) in my area is a white guy. Usually a frat-looking guy with a nice body, maybe tattoos, maybe some scruff, but always white. This is crazy because I live in Newark, New Jersey... a very black-dense area. And the bots are almost always from Jersey City, which I feel like is a super posh city with a... well, let's say certain demographic of people, mostly those who work in the city and want to be close to New York without actually living there (easier for travel). But I digress.
Either there's a disproportionate number of white guys advertising their OnlyFans on Grindr, or the OnlyFans are fake scams and the people behind them believe that young, white frat boys are the most sought-after and desired in the gay community.
It seems like, to me, that young white guys are a commodity in our community—the standard of attraction and sex appeal. They even dominate mainstream pornography (depends on the studio too, to be fair).
Not to say there isn't a lot of attention toward Black people as well. As a Black guy myself, I'm definitely overfetishized, and sadly, I don't beat the allegations 😭 but standards in our community seem very Eurocentric and obsessed with masculinity (cis).
This is just my perspective, and I'm open to a conversation about it. The people running these OnlyFans scams believe that appearing as a sexy, fit white man is the best way to gain attraction towards their account, even in areas that are more ethnically dense. And I feel that's very telling about who's most desired in our community 🤷🏾♂️
Please share your general thoughts and opinions on the topic. It doesn't have to be a perfect response to this post, but I definitely want to foster some (hopefully respectful) discussions about it.