When it comes to dating, every person faces their own set of challenges. For some, a tight schedule makes it hard to set aside time for dates. Others set expectations so high that finding the right person seems impossible. Endless circumstances can hinder one’s search for a meaningful relationship. But few dating hurdles are as unique as Pippa White’s.
Pippa White is a single Church of England priest who set out to find the one and only through dating apps. She recently appeared on This Morning and shared her struggles of looking for love as a member of the clergy. From the types of photos that work best to men's reactions to her work, see what she has to say about the modern dating scene.
Pippa’s story presents a breath of fresh air in the world of modern Christianity
It all started when her journey as a vicar led her to become a social media personality
Pippa White explains she first got the idea of becoming a vicar quite spontaneously. She studied history, but she wasn’t certain what she wanted to do with it. She wasn’t interested in becoming a teacher or working in museums, so during a conversation, she considered her options and started joking around with some ridiculous professions. Everything from a plumber to an astronaut. Then the word “vicar” slipped out, and it stuck with her. She was exploring Christianity as a whole while becoming a vicar.
During her 10 years of training, she struggled with the idea of not knowing anyone like herself. She looked for a broader community and tried social media, where she became known as the “TikTok Vicar.” Through it, she found more young women priests and connected with like-minded people worldwide. It gave her a sense of belonging and helped her understand what to expect on her journey.
Looking for love as a priest brought unique challenges
The main reason she decided to use dating apps was her location. Pippa White lives in Shropshire, which, according to her, has a fairly static, older population. Finding another young person in her area took a lot of effort, but dating apps made the search easier.
She tells a story where, before she was on dating apps, a godfather started hitting on her during a christening. As she was delivering the sermon, she noticed the man staring at her. At first, Pippa thought that he just took his duties very seriously. As the service went on, however, she realized that it was a different kind of staring. He started hitting on her afterward and made her feel really uncomfortable. That intense interaction was just another stepping stone toward her trying dating apps.
The Christian church is a sprawling community that’s full of people looking for love
There are quite a few young priests on dating apps, the vicar says. She found that because she belongs to a church, there’s a sort of heavy air around the topic. It motivated her to speak up and help people see that clergy are open to relationships too. She knew many church members were weighed down by the same ideas, and she wanted to shine a light on it.
Despite that, Pippa doesn’t reveal her field of work on her dating app profiles, but she does hint at it. She lists her workplace as the Church of England and her religion as Christianity. Nothing more. She has found that explicitly stating she’s a priest can make her profile seem less serious, or even attract negative attention on dating sites. She doesn’t share photos with the clergy collar either, to avoid the same issues. Just a few interesting facts about her usual self are more than enough for a dating profile, she says.
Everyone seeks comfort and warmth at the end of the day
Because she only hints that she's a devout Christian vicar, her dates sometimes take an awkward turn. When the eventual “So what do you do for work?” comes up, she finds it dreadful. She’s had times when men start asking a million questions about it, making her feel like she’s being interrogated. Others even start making unsolicited confessions. However, she admits that there are guys out there who don’t make a big deal out of her field, which she finds refreshing.
Her main gripe with dating apps is the pickup lines. She struggles with the concept because many men will just use one or two lines for each woman they chat with. Pippa feels it makes the women more disposable in a way. They don’t attempt to fit the conversation to each person, so the chat-up lines make talking feel very fabricated.
Her main goal is just to find someone nice. She calls being funny an absolute necessity, but for the most part, she wants someone she’d be excited to see at the end of her day. Everyone deserves a part of that gentle warmth we call love.
Watch the full video with Pippa White here:
People in the comments were supportive of her message and awe-struck by her looks and character
