Only 2 likes out of 20

I am a woman, and I know some of you might hate me for this, but I never send likes on Hinge because they are barely reciprocated. In fact, I’m not even sure if my likes always reach them. For example, after just two days of sending likes, my app glitched and appeared to reset; for a moment, all my messages disappeared, and I received an alert instructing me to send likes again so they could determine my type.

The reason I hesitate to send likes is that it doesn’t seem common for women to do so, and I worry that taking the initiative might make me appear desperate and less attractive. I know many guys claim they appreciate when a woman initiates, but it’s one thing to say it and another to experience it firsthand.

To make matters worse, the likes I do receive come from people I don’t find attractive. I understand you might argue that I get what is on my level, but I have forced myself to go on dates with these matches, and I simply can’t be fake for too long. This inevitably leads to hurting their feelings. I also often hear that I am the most attractive person they have dated.

It’s a cycle, by not sending likes, I end up settling for the ones I receive.