'Bye Felipe' Instagram Account Singles Out Rude Online Daters
— -- The California woman who created the viral Instagram account @ByeFelipe says she did so to “publicly shame” men who send angry messages to women after being dissed in online dating sites.
“I decided to publicly shame them and I wanted the world to see this is what our inbox looks like,” Alexandra Tweten told ABC News.
Tweten said she created the account after receiving one of the angry messages herself. Just three weeks later, the account has gained nearly 200,000 followers.
“Bye Felipe” users submit screenshots of their conversations that are then shared on the Instagram account.
“They come after women’s number one insecurity, which is their looks,” Tweten said of the messages, which are often full of expletives.
With an estimated 40 million Americans using online dating services, the “Bye Felipe” account has struck a chord.
Dating expert and author Laurel House said the anonymity of the Web opens the door for nasty messages.
“If you don’t see the guy, then he definitely feels he can be whoever he wants to be,” House told ABC News.
House advises women to report inappropriate messages to the dating website and, most importantly, not to respond to the messages.
“You are fueling their fire and honestly it will get worse,” she said.
With her Instagram account gaining buzz, Tweten says she hopes to turn it into a positive mission for all women on a much larger scale.
“See how we can make some social change,” Tweten said.
