Proactive Investors - Bumble Inc (NASDAQ:BMBL) has issued an apology after facing backlash over an advertising campaign that critics said mocked sexually inactive women.
This included the phrases “a vow of celibacy is not the answer” and “thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun”.
Though Bumble noted the adverts were meant to bring humour to “a community frustrated by modern dating”, critics argued they had quite the opposite effect.
“It's appalling to see a dating platform undermine women's choices,” actor Jordan Emmanual posted to X.
“Wasn't this app supposed to empower women to date on their terms?”
The adverts had appeared on billboards in the US last month, with Bumble, which had been set up in 2014 with a unique feature of requiring women to start conversations on its app, noting they would now be taken down.
“We made a mistake,” Bumble said in a social media statement.
“For years Bumble has passionately stood up for women and marginalised communities, and their right to fully exercise personal choice.
“We didn't live up to these values with this campaign and we apologize for the harm it caused.”
Bumble shares fell 1.4% on Wednesday following the news, adding to an 18.6% drop for the year so far.