I think we can all finally admit that yes, we are on Tinder, and yes, we are taking it kind of seriously. Maybe it started as a joke, or you downloaded just to understand the hype, but we are all doing it, and we doing it often. It’s not that big of a deal, so people were understandably upset when Chi Omega at The University of Nebraska made moves to have Shannon Workman removed for a photo that was on her Tinder profile. The picture is not risqué. It’s literally just her wearing a Bid Day shirt with the letters. That’s it.
She elected to leave the organization before they could kick her out for violating a “human dignity” rule, even though, personally, I think removing someone for that reason isn’t all that dignified. I think she made the right decision, because why would you want to stay with an organization that was going to condemn you for literally just being a single woman in the dating world of 2016? I’ve never met anyone whose relationship didn’t start at some sort of party, bar, or online. That’s just modern dating.
While she is no longer a member of her chapter, she’s gotten a pretty sweet deal out of it. Tinder is now giving her a full year’s scholarship to pay for her senior year. That’s right: they support her choice so much that they are paying for her to finish school.
“We think what Shannon did sends a very empowering message to young women and college students, which is actually one of Tinder’s largest audiences. Don’t conform, don’t let people tell you your beliefs are wrong just because it’s not the same as their beliefs,” said Tinder’s CEO Sean Rad.
Tinder didn’t stop there. They are offering her a paid internship, which is something that my mediocre résumé will never land me, despite the fact that I break rules of “human dignity” every weekend. Rad went on to say that “her actions showed a depth of leadership and courage that is admirable and something we value as part of our company culture. We always want to stand up for our users who stand up for us.”
Shannon apparently hasn’t decided whether or not she plans to pursue the internship, but honestly, just receiving the offer and scholarship is amazing. It’s proof that standing up for what you believe in, even when it might negatively affect you, is an admirable action.
So long story short? Don’t let anyone kill your vibe or decide what’s right or wrong. That’s entirely up to you. .
[via Buzzfeed]