Her guy friend saw 99+ likes and said women have it easy on dating apps — what he saw next made him rethink the whole thing
A dating app can look very different depending on what a person sees on the other side of the screen. A content creator, Ash, who believed women had an easier time dating online, had a strong reaction after seeing his female friend's Hinge account. He noticed that her profile showed more than 99 likes, which seemed to support his view that women had little trouble finding attention. But after looking more closely at what was behind that number, he began to see the experience differently. Ash later shared the story on TikTok on August 25, 2026, through his account @ashrathie.
@ashrathie Good luck charlie #datingadvice #hinge ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono - moshimo sound design
After reviewing all 44 profiles, Ash found that not one had received a match from his friend. He said the issue was not mainly the men's looks or height. Instead, their photos, Hinge answers, and messages attached to their likes played a major role. In the middle of his review, he realized that the large number of likes did not mean the woman was interested in most of them. Many profiles, according to him, were simply passed over. The experience made him rethink his earlier belief that women "have it so easy on Hinge," as the numbers alone did not show the full picture.
The content creator also noticed that some of the men had good looks and strong physiques, but their profile choices worked against them. He gave the example of a man with tattoos and large arms who used a poor hotel room photo while wearing skinny jeans. To Ash, the picture made the man appear less appealing than he might have been in person. He also criticized messages that sounded forced or too dramatic for an opening conversation. A strong appearance may help someone get noticed, but a weak profile can still turn a potential match away. In his view, many men were competing against their own dating profiles without realizing it.
The experience led Ash to believe that a man who is friendly, relaxed, and socially confident may face less competition than he assumes. However, he also pointed out that a large number of low-quality profiles can create another problem. They fill women's accounts with so many likes that a genuine profile may never receive much attention. This means a man can send a thoughtful like and still remain unseen among dozens of others. Ash summed up the situation by saying, "The dating market is cooked."
Modern dating can be difficult for women, especially when it comes to dating apps. In another incident, a woman challenged two male coworkers who believed men faced greater problems while looking for dates online. She asked them to browse Tinder and find a suitable match for her. As they went through the profiles, they came across several disturbing and inappropriate pictures. Their search finally led to a man who appeared normal, but his first message after matching quickly changed their view. He asked, "You going to let me f**k?" The experience left the coworkers with a very different understanding of what women can face online.
For more dating stories, follow @ashrathie on his TikTok account.