The use of the word fit , though, has always felt to me less like a description of activity level than a kind of dog whistle meant to ward off, well Or, in other words, people like me. When I open Tinder after a glass or two of wine and see women and often couples peppering their profiles with the word fit and endless gym selfies, I start to feel as though the casual sex and companionship that many people turn to dating apps for is off-limits to me until I lose half my body weight.
Those women and couples have every right to be proud of their bodies and their fitness levels, but does it have to come at the expense of my own sense of desirability? Monica Baum, 25, says the word fit in a profile is often a signifier for her to steer clear. Rachel Krause, 27, has also learned to see fit as a kind of warning sign when she encounters it in the wild.
Like, I know humans are superficial creatures, but we get it, you want someone with a six-pack. Ray Blum Levy, 34, occasionally uses the word to describe herself, though she has mixed feelings about it. Maybe that starts with a greater awareness, on all of our parts, of how we choose to describe ourselves and our ideal partners.
Save this story Save. Emma Specter is the Culture Writer at Vogue , where she covers film, TV, books, politics, news and almost anything queer. Read more.
