What kind of sexual expression do users engage in on dating apps?

A survey on how dating app users express themselves in their profiles and photos revealed that more than half included 'sexual self-expression.'

A linkage study investigating sexualized self-presentation on mobile dating apps and user traits - ScienceDirect

Femke Konings and her colleagues at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium conducted a survey in which they asked 443 users of dating apps to provide their profiles.

The survey participants were between 18 and 30 years old, 28% were male and 72% were female. The screenshots sent included 1,277 photographs. In conducting the survey of texts and photographs, Konings and his colleagues developed a comprehensive codebook to systematically assess indicators of sexual self-expression.

The survey found that while only 4.3% of profile texts contained sexual content, 56.8% of profile photos contained at least one sexually explicit photo.

The most common expression was 'sexual facial expressions,' which were included in 41% of profile photos. On the other hand, elements such as 'revealing clothing' and 'sexual poses' appeared less frequently, and tended to stay within the socially acceptable range of expressions. Konings and his colleagues state that 'this reflects a balance between attracting attention and avoiding excessive sexual expression.'

In addition, there were strong individual differences in sexual expression, with women showing more sexualized visual expressions than men, which Konings and his colleagues say is 'consistent with traditional gender views that emphasize physical attractiveness.'

Non-heterosexual users also made more references to sexual motivations in their texts than heterosexual users.

These trends were not different on Tinder or Bumble, suggesting that platform-specific features have limited impact on sexual self-expression.

By the way, body image was also measured on 237 participants, and while negative body images, such as 'body shame' and 'facial dissatisfaction,' were found to be related to whether or not they engaged in visual sexual expression, there was no significant association between positive body images, such as 'body appreciation,' and sexual expression.