Trisha is a self-proclaimed unicorn.
The junior nursing major, whose name has been changed to protect her privacy, enjoys participating in threesomes with two males and the attention that comes with it. She said women like herself are often called “unicorns” in the threesome community due to the sheer rarity of encountering one.
Trisha said she never would have thought she’d be able to find male partners for a threesome through an app. There’s dating apps like Tinder and Grindr, sure, but they only match up two individuals.
Now there’s an app with a similar namesake and for people looking to “swipe right” in a perhaps more adventurous and unconventional way: 3nder.
3nder, pronounced “thrinder,” is a London-based dating app for people looking to find two other partners for a threesome or couples looking to spice up their sexual fantasies. Users must verify their likeness through Facebook but can give themselves a fake name for privacy if they so desire.
Since the app’s launch in 2014, nearly 1 million users have downloaded the app with 1.2 million messages sent per month and 4 million swipes logged, according to the New York Post. The app recently received an anonymous grant of $500,000 from unnamed investors hoping to reap the benefits of the start-up.
Often times, Tinder users match with someone and do not immediately know what type of relationship the other person is looking for.
When a user downloads 3nder, the app asks questions that outline exactly what the user is looking for: just one male or female, a male-female couple, female-female couple, male-male couple, etc.
“I’ve always enjoyed threesomes but I have never thought to share those feeling with people on an app like Tinder,” Trisha said. “But I’m definitely willing to give it a try.”
Before jumping into bed with these strangers, Nicole McDermott, a health educator at Student Health Services on campus, recommends discussing beforehand what everyone is comfortable with doing.
“As long as all of the parties involved consent to the sexual activity and use safe sex practices, these types of sexual encounters could be safe and pleasurable sexual experiences,” McDermott said.
There are some risks involved, however, both mentally and physically.
“The problem with these types of relationships is that the more people are involved, the more opportunity there is for an individual’s feelings to get hurt,” McDermott said. “Also, obviously the more partners one has, the greater the risk to contract a [sexually transmitted infection] – especially herpes or HPV, which can be spread skin-to-skin.”
Because 3nder is a start-up app, many students on campus have not even heard of it yet, but some are excited to give it a try.
One male student, who wished to remain anonymous, has been an avid Tinder user for a few years and would be willing to try 3nder.
“It seems like a unique experience,” he said. “It is something that can appeal to uncommon fetishes people have.”
The app is currently in beta-mode, with downloads only available via the iPhone App Store. Android platform availability is pending release sometime this year on Google Play.
Evan Schneider is the assistant news editor and can be reached at evan.scheider@ubspectrum.com.
