Survey: Summer Outfits, Swimwear, and Dating Icks
Summer changes a lot about dating. The plans, the photos, and apparently, the dealbreakers. When the weather warms up, what people wear (and post) starts doing more romantic work than usual.
Hily surveyed 5,900 Gen Z and Millennial American daters to find out how summer outfits and swimwear photos impact attraction, profile decisions, and first date impressions. The results from surveyed daters show a clear gender divide on almost every question – with a few surprises along the way.
Some key findings from our survey:
- 61% of Gen Z women are turned off by profiles that only show shirtless or swimwear photos, compared to 19% of men
- The top clothing dealbreakers for women on a date are stained or sweaty clothes, anything that looks slept-in, and underwear-revealing waistbands
- 60% of men say there’s no summer outfit a woman could wear that would make them leave a date
- 27% of Gen Z women consider suggesting the beach or a pool for a first date a red flag
What’s Actually in the Profile
Most daters are keeping it covered. 72% of young women and 56% of young men say they’ve never posted bikini, swimwear, or shirtless photos on a dating app. The photos that generate the most opinions are also the ones most people aren’t actually posting.
To Post or Not to Post
Timing matters to some – 28% of Gen Z women and 34% of Gen Z men think swimwear photos are only appropriate during summer. Seasonal context is apparently a factor in whether the photo lands well or raises an eyebrow.
A smaller (but notable) group takes a firmer position. 1 in 5 Gen Z women and 1 in 10 Gen Z men think swimwear and shirtless photos have no place on dating apps at all, regardless of season.
The strongest reaction is reserved for profiles where that’s all there is. Over 61% of surveyed Gen Z and Millennial women are turned off by profiles featuring only swimwear or shirtless photos, compared to 19% of men. One photo of that kind reads differently than an entire profile built around it.
Not everyone sees it negatively. 47% of Gen Z women and 52% of Gen Z men (compared to 40% and 44% of Millennials, respectively) say swimwear or shirtless photos actually help them make a better-informed decision. The same photo that turns some people off gives others useful information.
For 30% of Gen Z (and 41% of Millennial) women and 14% of men, those photos actively reduce the likelihood of a like. The photo is doing work – just not always in the intended direction.
Confidence or Desperation?
62% of Gen Z women and 74% of Gen Z men read swimwear photos as a sign of confidence. The majority interpretation leans positive, but slightly lower for surveyed Millennial daters – putting yourself out there physically in a profile reads as self-assured for most daters.
But confidence and desperation aren’t mutually exclusive interpretations. 37% of Gen Z women and 27% of Gen Z men think those same photos can signal desperation. How a photo lands depends heavily on context, frequency, and what else is in the profile.
When photos tip into territory that feels excessive, the response is clear. Over 50% of Gen Z and Millennial women and under 30% of Gen Z and Millennial men say they’d unfollow or unmatch someone whose content felt too thirsty – constant swimwear or shirtless posts with little else. There’s a line between showcasing and oversharing, and most daters know where it is.
Summer Icks, Ranked
When it comes to profile photos, the top clothing turn-offs for Gen Z and Millennial women are stained or sweaty clothes, anything that shows off underwear, and socks with sandals. Summer or not, presentation in photos is being looked at closely.
The stakes are higher in person. The summer outfit dealbreakers that would make Gen Z and Millennial women leave a date are similar to what would turn them away from their profile: clothes that need a cleaning, anything that looks like they just rolled out of bed, and revealing clothes. Showing up looking like an afterthought is, for many women, a hard stop.
What Men Are (And Aren’t) Judging
60% of Gen Z and Millennial men say there’s no summer outfit that would make them dislike a woman’s dating profile. The next closest turn off? According to 17% of men: see-through clothing without obvious underwear. What women wear in photos is largely a non-issue for the majority of male daters.
The same applies in person. 60% of men say there’s no summer outfit a woman could show up in that would make them leave a date. The gender gap on outfit-based judgment is significant – and consistent across both profile photos and real-life dates.
When the Venue is the Red Flag
27% of surveyed women consider suggesting the beach or pool for a first date a red flag, compared to 11% of surveyed men. A swimwear-required setting on a first date asks for a level of physical exposure that many women aren’t comfortable with before getting to know someone. For more than 1 in 4 women, the location suggestion says something about the person making it.
Help Wanted: Summer Dating Edition
58% of Gen Z women and 42% of Gen Z men say they’d like dating apps to offer style or outfit tips for first dates – with 43% and 32% of Millennial women and men, respectively, feeling the same way. The feature doesn’t exist yet – but the appetite for it suggests that outfit anxiety around dating is real, and people would welcome some guidance before showing up.
More Than Just Clothes
Summer adds a layer to dating that other seasons don’t – more skin, more photos, and more opportunities to make a strong impression or a lasting one of the wrong kind. What someone wears, what they post, and where they suggest going on a first date are all being read as signals.
The gender divide throughout the data is hard to ignore. Women are significantly more likely to have opinions about men’s outfits, swimwear photos, and first date settings. Men, by and large, are more relaxed about what women wear – in photos and in person.
What reads as confident to one person reads as trying too hard to another. In summer dating, the line between the two is thinner than expected.