An Open Letter on Why We’re Removing Usernames, Addressed to the Worst Ones We’ve Ever Seen Sorry, DoritoprincessXO

What’s in a name?

You see, DaddyzPrincess29*, we’re all born with names. Good, noble names our dear parents took weeks, perhaps months to choose — from Hannah to Jordan to Chloe. And what we’ve discovered, kinkyweedzz, is that those names are actually perfectly fine when it comes to connecting with people. So listen closely laidback___stu, because this applies to you — even if you are straight chilling right now on a basement futon.

Before the new year, we’re removing OkCupid usernames. It’s starting with a test group and will soon be rolled out to everyone on OkCupid, so all users will need to update their profiles with their real names. We know, this is tough to hear — especially for StayingPawwsitive, Dootdootledootd0 and Britney__Tears. It’s because, like the recent goodbye we said to AIM screen names, it’s time to keep up with the times. We want you, BigDaddyFlash916, to go by who you are, and not be hidden beneath another layer of mystique. Even if that mystique is crucial to you and your dating life, unicorn__jizz.

We understand that, for some, usernames are a great way to show off who you are. But for most, they are a pain to come up with and a pain to remember (or, in cases like unicorn__jizz, difficult to forget). And we hope that you can instead use your profile to give people an insight into your interests, rather than a made-up monicker.