10 Bad Tinder Photos No Guy Should Use
Bad Tinder photos for men include selfies, wearing sunglasses, laying in a bed half-named, and not making eye contact with the camera. Unfortunately, photos like these are commonplace.
Your photos are critical on Tinder. 48% of women pick a date based on looks, according to a study by University College London.
This post shows you 10 of the worst pictures men use on Tinder. I share why using each of them is a terrible idea. Using just one can impact your results negatively.
For good photo tips, visit my post, What Are Good Tips For Dating App Photos? 5 Pictures Giving Men A Edge.
1. Selfies, selfies, selfies!
Enough of the selfies already! They do more harm than good. For whatever reason, guys think they are an acceptable profile photo - they're not.
Dating.com found men receive 25% fewer matches even though 90% of them think shirtless photos improve their chances. A survey they conducted found 66% of women found men's shirtless pictures conveyed "a lack of maturity and self-awareness."
What's worse than a selfie? A bathroom selfie! Hinge found a bathroom selfie is 90% less likely to receive a "like."
Toilets in your picture do not make you desirable.
Here are a few facts about using selfies in profile photos:
- Match.com found 29% of women indicated that a photo taken in a mirror with a smartphone was the biggest reason they'd click away from a guy's profile.
- Zoosk found men who use selfies receive nearly 10% FEWER messages from women.
- Bumble found 23% of singles surveyed find it a deal-breaker when someone uses all selfies in their profile.
Using nothing but selfies shows women you have no friends to take pictures of you. This may lead them to think you're not sociable.
Avoid using selfies because they do more harm than good. Remove them from your profile.
2. Pet photos without the owner.
If you have a dog, the only acceptable pet picture is a photo of you AND your dog. A common blunder by guys is using a picture of just the dog.
As a fellow dog owner, I understand how important your pet is to you. Dog's are awesome. There's nothing better than coming home and being greeted by your pet when walking in the door.
You may think it's a good idea to share a bunch of pictures of your dog. It's not - Zoosk found that people who post pictures of their pets on their profile reduce their popularity by 53%.
Women want to see pictures showing your interests, hobbies, and lifestyle. A picture of just a dog isn't a good first impression. If you must use a picture of your dog, make sure you're in the picture.
Unless you're in the picture - don't use a photo of a dog.
3. Standing next to women in photos.
Avoid using pictures with women in them. Using a photo with a woman in it takes the focus away from you. It's a distraction. Women looking at your picture may think, "Who is that?".
There's no benefit in using pictures with women in them. Some guys think having women in pictures boosts their appeal. It acts as social proof and makes you more desirable. That is a myth - it's not true.
Don't use pictures with women on your Tinder profile.
Dating apps found having women in pictures hurts your chances:
- eharmony says, "Even if it's the most platonic of friendships, don't include a picture of yourself with a member of the opposite sex if you're looking for a heterosexual relationship."
- Hinge found, "standing with a member of the opposite sex is one of the worst things you can do. Even if the person is just a friend or family member, if it looks like it could be a significant other, your likes decrease by 98 percent."
- Coffee Meets Bagel put it best, "Do you bring sand to the beach?" This means why use photos with women? It's not necessary.
4. Hiding your face wearing sunglasses.
Wearing sunglasses in your picture on Tinder is a no-no. Women want to see your eyes.
One of the first things women look at is your eyes. Here are a few facts about wearing sunglasses in your profile photos:
- Tinder found sunglasses reduces your right swipes by 12%
- Zoosk found people who wear sunglasses get 63% fewer messages.
- According to EliteSingles, 19% of surveyed members think wearing sunglasses in a picture is a "no go."
- Hinge analyzed which photos get the most likes and found photos with sunglasses scored lowly.
Photofeeler, a site that analyzes profile photos, found hiding your eyes using sunglasses, "can significantly harm your impression." The site discovered your likability drops when people see you in sunglasses.
Do yourself a favor. Take off the sunglasses.
Don't hide your eyes with sunglasses.
5. Poorly uploaded pictures.
After uploading your pictures on Tinder, make sure you view your profile. You want to see what your pictures look like from a woman's vantage point.
The last thing you want is a mistake like the one below. That is the guy's primary photo. A mistake like this can drastically hurt your results. Take a few minutes to verify your pictures loaded correctly.
Validate your pictures load correctly on Tinder.
6. Bedroom photos do NOT make you desirable.
A common blunder is a picture of yourself lying in bed, gazing at the camera, shirtless, attempting to show some vulnerable side. This type of photo is a disaster waiting to happen. It doesn't make you desirable to women.
Intimate photos put women in an awkward position, the bedroom. Photofeeler found photos like these come across as "predatory" to women.
You don't respect the boundaries of women using a photo of yourself in bed. It's too forward, aggressive, and creepy.
Women are already on the defensive while on dating apps. They think most men only want sex and this type of photo reinforces that thought. Keep it off your profile.
This type of photo comes across as creepy.
7. You're not physically in the picture.
Here's a simple rule; if you aren't physically in the picture, don't use it. Seriously, don't.
For whatever reason, men love using pictures they physically aren't in. I already covered how guys like using pictures of their pets. Other examples include a car, a beach, the moon, a motorcycle, a beer, food, a sunset, etc.
No woman looks at a picture of a sunset and thinks, "I have to meet this guy!" The opposite happens - she'll swipe left and focus on men who do show themselves in their pictures.
Your photos essentially showcase who you are. Show yourself engaging in whatever things you enjoy. If you're not in the picture, women will think you're hiding something or have zero confidence in your appearance.
You must be in all your pictures on Tinder.
8. Using staged photos that come across as fake.
The best way to make an impression on Tinder is by looking at the camera and smiling. It's too bad many guys miss this and choose to use fake, or staged, pictures of themselves.
Photos of yourself looking away from the camera come across as fake. They are not 'in the moment" pictures but staged to make you appear as if you're in deep thought. You're not fooling anyone.
In one survey, 88% of people viewing photos viewed the hottest pictures as those with the subject making eye contact with the viewer. Don't duplicate the "Thinker" pose. Just look at the camera and smile!
In the moment photos are ideal - not a fake photoshoot.
9. Cropping your pictures.
Don't crop people out of your pictures. It looks like you're hiding something. It's also distracting because it looks odd seeing half a face or some phantom arm around you.
Another problem is the quality of the picture is affected. When you crop a photo, it magnifies the part you keep. This makes the photo not look as good as the original.
Cropping photos on Tinder is a huge mistake.
10. Dimly lit photos.
I'm unsure why men choose to use pictures where they can't be seen. Using pictures that are poorly lit is a huge mistake. Women can't see what you look like in dimly lit photos.
Keep it easy for women to see your face. Use natural lighting. Heck, turn on a light already. If you must, turn on the flash.
Photo's like the one below are a terrible impression. It looks like the guy is in some dark room or maybe lurking in the corner of a bar like a creeper.
Dimly lit environments make bad Tinder photos.