As an Asian American man, the dating world made me feel invisible

I would say I am, on a good day, medium attractive. I’m not fishing for compliments; I just know that I’m not a 10 and I’m not a 1. I am somewhere between Brad Pitt and a blobfish. I look OK enough to be on TV, but not the cover of Men’s Health. And that’s OK! I’m very happy with myself. But when I was on dating apps, I honestly think I could’ve done better if I’d changed my profile picture to a stray hyena with mange. I couldn’t get anyone to swipe right on me.

Dating as an Asian man in America is, to put it simply, not fun. While I’m happily in a relationship now, I’ll never forget how invisible I felt — and how I imagine many other people who look like me feel, too.