You can base your Tinder date on how many mutual Facebook friends you have. But, when women really want to vet potential matches, they head to Lulu. It's the dating app that quite literally separates the men from the boys. Bachelors are reviewed by women they know — whether that's through dating, friendship, or family relationships.
Today, though, Lulu announced a new feature called Truth Bombs. It allows users to chat anonymously about sex and relationships. And, it also enables men to join the conversation.
Here's how it works: A man posts an anonymous question, subjecting his query to the judgement and expertise of Lulu's all-women community. Women respond, and the idea is that everyone leaves feeling more educated. So, men are posting a range of questions, from, "How many guys have you slept with?" to, "Do girls watch porn?" In a three-week beta test, users viewed Truth Bombs more than one million times. Men created 'em at a rate of about 100 per hour — 60,000 in total.
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Alison Schwartz, co-founder and head of editorial for Lulu, told us that Truth Bombs is a natural extension of what the app's users already wanted. "We’ve heard from the beginning that girls and guys want to be able to interact on Lulu and learn from each other about sex and relationships. Girls tell us that they want to hear the guy's perspective on sex and relationships, and we've seen this in the numbers in terms of huge demand for Dear Dude, our advice column," Schwartz said. And, while this isn't exactly akin to something like Facebook Messenger, Schwartz describes Truth Bombs as a crucial first step. "Guys tell us that they want to be able to message girls and find out what they think about sex and relationships." Truth Bombs opens that form of discussion.
If you're going to use Truth Bombs, Schwartz advises you to be open and honest in your responses. "We're seeing some really vulnerable and sensitive questions coming from guys, and girls are responding in a positive and constructive way. This is all about learning from each other and helping each other get better, so join the conversation!" she said.
The knee-jerk reaction of some Lulu users may be that allowing men on the app goes against its founding purpose. Why have a man's voice in what is supposed to be a digital community exclusively for women? But, the male presence in Truth Bombs isn't a true penetration of the all-lady forum. Women still have the power to choose what they disclose to the inquiring men — or whether to respond to the Bombs at all.