I had no sex education whatsoever at school and I think that was a real shame in terms of owning yourself and your pleasure

In celebration of its new premium subscription service for women-identifying-only individuals, dating app Pure has unveiled its Pure Queen campaign – a short film empowering users to take charge of their dating online and IRL.

Long predating Hinge’s rose jail, Tinder’s janky algorithm, and Grindr dick pics, horny people everywhere had personal ads – aka self-written adverts posted in the newspaper where people would list out who they are, what type of romance they desire, and how to contact them. “Dominant whip bitch. Heavy into leather, wants to hear from all into [BDSM],” read a personal from 1981. “You male worms, write now!” Another, from 1980, stated: “Attractive couple seeks other couples and well-hung males for swinging times.” Short, honest, and oftentimes hyper-sexual, the adverts cut straight to the point – linking up anyone, anywhere who wanted to live out their fantasies IRL before declining in popularity with the rise of tech in the early 00s.

With space to select your turn-ons (including anything from BDSM to music, vanilla sex, kissing, people who have been to therapy, and feet), chats that self-destruct in 24 hours for safe messaging, and access to any city worldwide, the app has signalled a turn towards more curious, supportive dating space – sidestepping all the boring or stressful parts of dating to help you connect with like-minded people in a fun, creative way.

Over the past few years, however, dating app Pure has re-invented the old-school dating practice – providing a safe, sex-positive space to be honest about their intentions, boundaries, and fantasies via cute personal ads brought straight to your feed

Now – in celebration of its brand new, women-identifying-only premium subscription service, which creates an even safer space for women within the app, allowing them to make their own dating rules by selecting preferences like type of relationship they’re looking for or only seeing people with specific turn-ons, photos, languages, or heights; using a new Incognito mode that lets women browse unseen without read receipts or online status; and selecting Queen Style mode, which lets women pick a fun digital avatar rather than showing their own photos – the app has unveiled a new campaign film, empowering women to be the lead character in dating. Read more