Are you wondering how will online LGBTQ dating work without uploading a picture of yourself, then read the full article. Our culture, especially surrounding online dating, is obsessed with pictures. Dating apps like Grindr and Tinder allow users to upload and send as many pictures as they want. Many of us have come to use pictures as the ultimate judgment on how we feel about other people. But this kind of mindset can be very limited, and detrimental. It doesn’t allow us to get to know other people for who they are.
This can lead to us missing opportunities to meet people who we may really like, or even love. This is why As You Are India doesn’t allow members to upload and send photos. They can upload one selfie for the purposes of authentication, and that is it. As You Are is one of the top LGBTQ dating apps in India. But the lack of photos may worry many members.
How are you to connect without photos? What kinds of things should you look for in a profile? What should you ask in a profile? Luckily, we can answer some of these questions.
Getting to know People beyond their Looks
Judging people by their looks can sometimes be human instinct. But it can be a harmful instinct, one that closes the door to many potentially great connections. Focusing on someone’s personality, rather than their looks, can have many benefits. For one, you can judge whether or not you will get along with this person. Looks can’t tell you what kind of person they are not entirely but talking to them can.
This way, you find matches that you are more compatible with. There is also less pressure to look good. People are more able to focus on being honest and true to themselves, rather than trying their best to look good. This can lead to more fun and honest experiences and is one of the major setbacks of LGBTQ dating apps like Grindr.
What To Look For in an LGBTQ Dating Profile?
Without pictures, one of the most important indicators of someone’s fit with you is their profile. It can contain lots of important information, but what exactly should you look for?
For one, there’s their job. If it is there, it may tell you a little bit more about them librarians, for example, are likely to be quieter people than racecar drivers. However, this is never perfect, so look at other details as well.
What are their hobbies and interests? This will give you a hint as to what spending time with them will be like. Do they like similar things as you? Things that you would be interested in? Or are their interests wildly different?
This is a good indicator of fit, since how you spend your time together will be important to both of you.
What are they looking for in a relationship? This question is a very important one. Ideally, the answer would be very similar to your answer. If you’re both looking for the same thing, then it is easier to have it.
But if theirs differs a little, you still might be willing to try it out. However, if their desires are totally different from yours, it’s probably not a good match.
What Questions to Ask?
Asking questions in chat with other users is one of the best ways to get to know people.
That’s why it’s also a common feature on LGBTQ dating like Grindr and Tinder.
You can get real-time answers, and find out things that are important to you. But what kind of questions should you ask? Here are some ideas.
- What does your ideal date look like? This question tells you more about what spending time with them will be like.
- Are you out or not? Be sure to ask this question nicely, but it can be an important thing to know, especially for LGBTQ dating in India.
- How often do you want to see each other? This gives you a good idea on the level of commitment they are looking for.
- If it’s important to you, ask about their religion and their religious preferences.
- What is your favorite color? This is just a fun thing to know about them (and might help with gift ideas later down the line).
You could also ask about some of the things from the profile section. If that information isn’t in their profile, you could ask for it.
If it is there but you want more clarification, then you can ask for that as well.
And, of course, you can ask anything you want to know! The whole point is to get more information about your potential partner.
So ask whatever questions you want, whether they’re serious, silly, or anywhere in between.
Conclusion
Pictures, especially of other people, are a large part of our daily lives and our dating lives. But AYA believes that the person behind the picture is more important, unlike many other dating apps in India.
This is why we don’t allow members to upload pictures. This also keeps the profanity out of the picture, pun intended :).
However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t still connect with people.
There are many ways to connect and see if someone is a good fit for you: their profile, questions in the chat, etc. Hopefully, this guide helped you, so you can go out there and meet more people.
