Tinder launches anti-harassment feature allowing women to 'throw' martinis in men's faces

We're not convinced though

Campaigners have raised concerns that women will be deterred from reporting rape over ‘intrusive’ investigations

Tinder has today announced the launch of a new feature intended to help women combat the male “douchebags” regularly encountered on the dating app.

Tinder Reactions is part of the company’s “Menprovement” project, presumably in response to the rise of more feminist dating apps such as Bumble.

Designed by women who work at Tinder, there are eight new Reactions a user can send to a person, five of which are exclusive to women:

• Really, urgh, nope
• Martini 
• Eye roll
• Strike 
• Ball’s in your court

The idea is that when men are sleazy on Tinder - which any woman will tell you is a regular occurrence - women can sassily respond with one of these animated reactions to let men know they’re out of line.

(Tinder (Tinder)

And this really is an issue - I for one stopped using Tinder this year because I was so fed up with men sending aubergines and crude references.

Tinder says: “Tinder Reactions are designed to give users a selection of responses that can be used at any stage of conversation, and suitable for a wide spectrum of behaviour - from a gentle nudge (say ‘ball’s in your court!’) to a warning (send an eyeroll) to a bold gesture (throw a drink in their face).

“In our fast-paced world, what woman has time to respond to every act of douchery she encounters? With Reactions, you can call it out with a single tap. It’s simple. It’s sassy. It’s satisfying.”

(Tinder (Tinder)

Except I don’t think it’s going to make a difference at all, and it certainly isn’t going to change the way men behave on Tinder.

Whilst previously a woman might have replied with an eye-roll emoji, a “bye” GIF or simply just not replied to let a guy know his comments are not appreciated, now she might send a Reaction.

(Tinder (Tinder)

What effect will that have?

Reactions may be another fun way to respond to someone, but I’m afraid I think Tinder are deluded if they believe it’s going to stop men being douchebags on the app.