Are Asian men undateable? Left swipe on a Tinder Hong Kong video seen as reinforcing unfair stereotype
Dating app’s video – apparently a test clip – showing a white woman user accepting all potential matches bar an Asian man was taken down after drawing complaints
The half-minute video was seen by Hong Kong Tinder users in the week beginning August 21, but was taken down after three days amid complaints from users and an accusation by the Asian youth online magazine Nextshark that it was taking “a very cheap shot” at Asian men.
“My first reaction to the video was that it was no surprise at all,” said Donnie, a teacher based in Hong Kong and a member of the “Asian Identity” group on Reddit. “This video adds to the negative stereotype about Asian men that they are undateable.
“We are seen as outsiders in our own homes.”
According to a Tinder employee who wishes to remain anonymous, the login video was part of an “A/B testing” exercise in several countries and areas – Hong Kong included – for updates on Tinder’s login page. A/B testing is used by tech companies to compare two versions of a webpage to see which performs better.
Ariadna Peretz, founder and managing director of the Maitre D’ate matchmaking agency in Hong Kong, said: “This video not only disrespects the market that Tinder seeks to serve, but also reinforces the stereotype Asian men aren’t attractive to women.”