Miss USA 2012, Nana Meriwether, Uses Tinder To Find Dates Online

Yes, Miss USA Finds Her Dates Online

Miss USA 2012, Nana Meriwether, really is still just like most of us: She finds her dates online.

Meriwether confirmed to New York Mag's The Cut that she has been using Tinder since April, after a friend of reporter Grace Wyler spotted her profile while perusing the selection of single Lower Manhattan ladies one day.

Dating in hectic New York City isn't easy -- many are too busy to even remember to go on a second date, Meriwether says -- so Miss USA turned to the app for some help. She says she doesn't take online dating very seriously, and only browses Tinder while hanging out with her girlfriends.

"It's funny — the guys I've said yes to have all been like, 'Are you real?' I'm like, 'Yeah, of course.' Even pageant-title-holders get lonely," she told The Cut. Adding, "Mostly I joined because a friend told me to, but I think it could be a great way to meet people, especially in New York City. I think when you're single, you should try all avenues. And now there are so many new apps for dating — this one is just really fun."

Tinder is happy she is fan.

"We are thrilled that the former Miss USA is a Tinder user," Rosette Pambakian, a publicist for the company, said in an email to The Huffington Post Wednesday. "Tinder has not paid for her endorsement - this was organic. She is one of many celebrities who use Tinder and none of them have been hired by Tinder or compensated for an endorsement."

It's hard to believe the South African stunner, who passed on the crown just weeks ago, has trouble finding a date. But more and more people are turning to apps for love (or at least plans for Saturday night).

First introduced to college campuses in September, the Tinder app (just for iPhones right now) is incredibly simple. You sign in with Facebook and then are connected to other singles nearby you may know. Once shown a photo, Tinderers choose to give someone an "X" for "no" or a heart for "yes." Messaging is only enabled if both parties approve each other.

Alas, it is wholly based on physical appearances. The New York Times referred to its debut as technology hitting "a new level of shallow."

In May, Tinder moved towards shaking its hookup-only reputation by introducing the Matchmaker feature, Forbes noted. Matchmaker allows users to introduce Facebook friends who they think would be a good pair.

"Tinder is not your typical dating app," Pambakian added. "It's a new approach to meeting new people. Tinder is different from other apps because it gives you control over who you want to connect with so that you're not constantly bombarded by messages or approached by people you don't want to match with... And it's not just for dating - it's used to find new friends and for networking as well."

Co-founder Justin Mateen did not reveal exactly how many active users Tinder has when asked by The Huffington Post back in April, but he did say there are between 10,000 to 20,000 downloads per day. Sixty percent of those users check it daily, and of those many check it as much as six times a day.

Meriwether is not the only semi-celeb to join the Tinder community. Former "Bachelor" hunk Ben Flajnik signed up earlier this year.

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