11 hours ago
Watch: 'Tap or Block' - Troye Sivan, Backup Dancers Open Up about What They Do on Grindr
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
Australian pop star Troye Sivan, chosen as Grindr Unwrapped's "Baby Doll of the Year," gave the hookup app access to his – and his dancers' – thoughts about online dating in a short minute video that is part of what Grindr, in a press release, called "an unapologetically bold new social media campaign, 'TAP or BLOCK.'"
The campaign, according to the release, is a "bold new initiative [that] puts Grindr at the forefront of conversations about queer sex, dating, and hook-up culture, blending humor, intimacy, and cultural relevance in a way only Grindr can."
The clip was "[f]ilmed backstage before the final show of Troye's 'Something to Give Each Other Tour,'" the release noted, going on to say that "Troye and his dancers engage in a candid, playful game that opens up honest conversations about queer dating culture."
"From 'tapping' hotel hook-ups to 'blocking' body hair, the campaign celebrates the diversity of queer experiences while highlighting Grindr as the ultimate connector for love, lust, and everything in between."
Covering the video, VMagazine summarized, "Topics like hotel sex and skipping post-gym showers received a resounding 'tap,' while open relationships – a hot-button issue in modern dating – sparked mixed reactions."
"On the topic of foreplay, one dancer gave an eager 'tap' and offered some sage advice: 'You need to preheat the oven before you put the meat in.'"
Another fun topic: "Taking a nude next to an object so that you can see scale," a query Sivan poses in the video. "For example, a Coke can."
That proposition was roundly shot down, with one dancer dismissing it among guffaws as "performative" while another proclaimed it "embarrassing if you're having to prove to me that you and a Coke can are, like, in scale."
As far as satin sheets go, there were thumbs up – or "taps" – all around, with such linens being deemed "good for your skin."
"I have satin pillowcases, as well," one dancer volunteered.
When it came to a "strict dynamic during sex," though, there was little agreement: "Tap," "Block," "Tap," "Block," went the first few responses as Sivan went around the room. Finally, answering the question himself, Sivan offered, "Tap? Sure."
The clip introduces viewers and users to a "playful game that opens up honest conversations about queer dating culture," the release promises.
Watch the video below.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.