“Masculine Guys Only”: The effects of femmephobic mobile dating application profiles on partner selection for men who have sex with men

Mobile dating applications (apps) have changed the way gay men find others in their geographic area for sexual activity and romantic relationships. Many of these apps are branded in relation to traditional masculinity and have become a breeding ground for femmephobic, or anti-effeminate, language. Past research has not examined the effects of femmephobic language in social networking apps designed for men who have sex with men (MSM) on app users' perceptions. This research employed an online experiment of 143 MSM app users to test how users respond to femmephobic and non-femmephobic language use in MSM dating profiles. Participants rated the profile users, as well as reported their desire to meet the user in an offline context. Results indicated that the use of femmephobic language in dating profiles affects a potential partner's perceived intelligence, sexual confidence, and dateability, as well as one's desire to meet potential partners offline for friendship or romantic purposes. Anti-effeminacy was an important moderator of the main effect.