Interesting essay. I've been on dating apps for a couple of years and I've never asked for a selfie, but I did ignore messages from a woman whose profile had no pictures where her face was clear enough that I could recognize her walking into a Tim Horton's. I think having reasonable pictures on your dating app is a minimum. I also agree that I don't need complete assurance to go out on a date. If pictures are deceiving, that tells me a lot about what I need to know.