The 15 types of people you’ve definitely matched with over lockdown in Cardiff

Most of us have given online dating a go: there’s the classic tinder account, the ‘it’s so much better’ but not really Bumble user, Hinge for the lazier among us, and there’s even Facebook dating now, apparently? Although 82 per cent of the Cardiff students we asked prefer dating the old fashioned meet-cute way, the pandemic and multiple lockdowns have limited our search for love (or a shag), and online dating has become the new norm whether we like it or not.

From the one who simps after the first date, to the absolute catfishes, we asked Cardiff students about all the matches they’ve had, met, and unmatched or fallen for over lockdown…

The one who’s 6ft… because apparently that matters?

Sometimes they get creative with it and we love to see that. This was the clear winner, apparently almost all of us have found someone with this in their bio. It beats the “it’s my nephew not my kid haha” though tbh. It’s no secret, many girls like a tall guy, but do you really think we’re that shallow that we’d throw you to the side if you don’t meet our height regulations? It’s my vagina, not a theme park people.

64 per cent of Cardiff students who took part in our Instagram poll said they’d come across this type whilst online dating, at a massive 587 respondents, compared to just 152 who said they’ve come across the people who say “it’s my nephew not my kid ahhaha”.

The one who simps after the first date

The Cardiff Tab spoke to one student who explained, “A boy on tinder invited himself round to stay and after 19 days said he was madly in love with me”. Girlll you deserve a medal. If you know, you know I guess?

The ones who only want to meet up to walk your dog

Putting a picture of your dog in your Tinder profile is a major pull factor. Liking dogs is a good sign that you’re no psychopath and you love a cuddle.

Besides what are Roath and Bute for? Can’t blame them, if you need a cuddle with a dog, you just need a cuddle with a dog. Human optional.

The one you never actually meet

One Cardiff student told The Cardiff Tab, “I never even met the guy but he had a stalker that threatened me”. If this doesn’t put you off online dating forever, I don’t know what will.

Another Cardiff student we spoke to mentioned the classic-ghoster they came across whilst using online dating apps, explaining, “I matched with a guy and we made plans to meet up once he was back in Cardiff. The next morning I check my snapchat and can’t find him anywhere because he’d blocked me. Am I missing something?”. For many, this is something we know all too well, but what’s worse, being stood up in person or blocked from their Instagram? At least you can cry without anyone seeing you at home.

The one you’ve already met at an online social

A little society appreciation came from a student who told The Cardiff Tab, “I met my girlfriend on an online social and found out we matched on tinder ages ago!” Five months later and they’re in love. Note to self: attend more virtual socials

The one you match with but never speak to

Will something finally come from your TikTok obsession? If we go by what this student told The Cardiff Tab, then maybe TikTok should do what Facebook did and start a dating feature. One student we spoke to explained,  “I have tried tinder and had no luck so basically gave up and deleted it”.

This student went on to say that, after shooting her shot by sending a “Please drop his @” comment on a Cardiff Uni student’s TikTok, they received a comment from the original poster saying that the two of them had matched on tinder. The student explained that, “I re-downloaded it and basically he’d sent me DMs weeks ago! Was such a huge coincidence”. They went on a date and the rest is history.

The ones who have matched your entire friendship group

You’re in your living room swiping through Tinder, and can’t go two minutes without one of your mates saying, “I’ve matched him”.  If we’re all in agreement that it’s awkward, why do we still try? Not all experiences are praise-worthy.

38 per cent of the students who took part in our Instagram poll claimed that they have come across someone who’s definitely matched all of their mates before.

The one who loves a socially-distanced walk in the park

It’s like the unwritten rule of Cardiff online dating as a student: they either ask you round for a shag, or they ask to go for a walk in the park. Two completely different aims here people, but then again, apparently this is code for a shag in the park? Exhibitionism at its best.

The ‘swipe left if you’re easily offended’ one

One student told The Cardiff Tab, “Some guy said I looked like his big toe because I didn’t find his joke about killing my pet bunny”.

At this point, yeah I am easily offended. This one will, without a doubt, hurt your feelings at some point, and in their defence, their profile came with a warning. Sometimes they just filter themselves out, don’t they?

The one who is 100 per cent a catfish

One student told The Cardiff Tab they were, “Totally catfished and he screenshot one of our (X-Rated) conversations and sent it to my mum – don’t know how he found her! Was not safe for mum’s eyes.” Yikes, a catfish and he shared the texts? Luckily she convinced her mum she’d been hacked.

Catfishes aren’t rare, another student told The Cardiff Tab, “Me and my best friend got catfished by the same guy.” The trick is adding them on Snapchat and Instagram. My best friend recommends Facebook to see the pictures their mothers post of them…

The one we’re ‘just friends with’

The Cardiff Tab spoke to one student who mentioned the friend she made off of tinder, “I can’t lie, I do have a bit of a crush on them but we decided we were better off as just friends.” Yeah because we endlessly pine over all our friends and hit on them frequently, don’t we? Bonus points if this is the one we caught feels for early on in the talking stage before the ‘I don’t want anything serious’ conversation came up.

The one who’s way too comfortable in your house

One Cardiff student explained how her room doubled as a Tesco Express, “I had a date and they invited themselves over to mine, I’m spineless so didn’t say anything. But then they just kept grabbing my snacks and drinks that were around my room – I hadn’t even offered! Was so odd, aren’t you meant to bring something when you go to someone else’s house?” Slide them your bank details and call it a day.

The one you fall in love with

One student told The Cardiff Tab, “We met on tinder 7 months ago. We’re planning to buy a house soon.”

There’s just so many people who met at the start of lockdown one, maybe that was prime time? I just spent my days making banana bread and doing TikTok challenges. Is there still hope? Asking for a friend.

The one whose DMs you slid into

One Cardiff student told us about their lockdown love story where she spotted him in a mutual’s friends post, “Our mate set us up.” Travel re-opening led to double-dates squeezed in between lockdowns and work shifts from the summer job he got where she lived. This student went on to explain that, “We decided to meet halfway between her home and mine when I had to move back home, and continued talking throughout the second and third lockdowns.”

Christmas cards and Valentine’s Day zoom dates led to the two moving in with each other during the third lockdown, “We’ve lived together ever since and finally made it official after 9 months of relentless talking.”

The one who subscribes you to scientology

One Cardiff student mentioned how her best friend likes to be petty with her failed talking stages, “She will subscribe a guy/girl to random newsletters. It doesn’t really do much and there’s no guarantee it doesn’t go straight into their spam box but it just gives her a small amount of satisfaction. Part of her “moving on” process.” You do you, girl. A couple newsletters never hurt anybody.

And we’re sure there’s so many more people from Cardiff on Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, and every other dating app, that you or a friend have matched with. And while we do have our own preferences for which app is better than the other, most of us can probably agree that we’re holding out for hope the day we delete it and don’t reinstall it again and pretend we’re only on it ‘for a laugh’ or because our mate wants to swipe for us.

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