As we mentioned last week, cuffing season—the cold weather phenomenon that undoubtedly leads to singles coupling up to, amongst other things, avoid having to go outside—is officially nigh.
Extremely related: there's a new dating app you might want to know about. It's called Blindfold, and it just launched in New York, after having launched in Los Angeles earlier this year.
"Blindfold" and "cuffing." Sounds interesting...
But it's not what you may think. Not really. In a society that increasingly treats dating like a game (*cough cough* Tinder), the folks behind Blindfold figured they might as well lean in. Like, all the way in.
"Dating is fun, but most dating apps don’t reflect that," the app's founder, Alexandra Menna, says. "Tinder has turned into a platform for one-night stands and booty calls, while sites like eHarmony are too serious, focusing on marriage and kids. I realized the market needed something beyond this. It needed a platform that focuses on the lighter aspects of dating—like, the flirting and fun banter— while at the same time actually [allowing you] to learn about your “match” and spark conversation."
On Blindfold, you'll build your profile with the normal good-but-not-too-good photos and start by answering some "yes" or "no" questions in what they call the "preference deck." Then you'll get to the standard left-or-right swiping, the difference being you can see how compatible you are with a potential match, given your preferences. Once you match, you'll have the option to play another "deck," swiping "yes" or "no" on 21 cards, each of which has a phrase or activity that belongs to a particular topic, like "Bucket List" or "Vices" or, well, drinking. When you're done, a recap will reveal where you did and didn't match. Finally, with a single tap, you can send messages based on their answers, so you already have something to talk about, as opposed to the classic, "Hey, what's up?"
"My app offers singles who are tired of going to bars, meeting for one drink and running out of things to talk about a fun, more efficient and effortless way to get to know each other prior to meeting," Menna says. "With Blindfold, you learn about the other person by playing games before you meet. And when you do meet, you will actually have quality topics to discuss."
Certainly, other apps have tried to facilitate successful first dates in similar ways. Hinge, in its latest iteration, gives users the option to "like" specific answers to specific questions in a potential match's profile. Whether or not Blindfold will actually make online dating easier, or simply have people spending more time on an app, remains to be seen.
There is one other thing, though, which bears mentioning. Among the 125 "decks" are a handful for couples, or would-be couples, that essentially serve as a codified form of "sexting." Throughout the day, maybe before a date night, you and yours can play games like "Sex Positions," "Naughty Gifts" and "Breaking the Rules."
Whatever those may be...
