Open letter: the artists behind ToiletPaper are ‘DTF’ with OKCupid

DTF – a modern acronym meaning ‘down to f*ck’ – is a ubiquitous term used in contemporary dating to refer to a person who, as it states, is willing to have sex. Now, digital dating app OKCupid is attempting to reclaim DTF by presenting a host of new interpretations of the word behind the letter F, in a new range of ads.

‘It became clear that the way this came to life visually would have to be bold and provocative,’ says Melissa Hobley, CMO of OKCupid. The creative minds at advertising powerhouse Wieden + Kennedy stepped in, proposing artist Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari – the duo behind visual bible ToiletPaper and who have also conceptualised ads for Kenzo, collaborated with MGSM and designed home accessories for Seletti – for the job. Hobley and her team thought their vibrant, cheeky images were the right fit.

The ads they designed range from the conventional – ‘DTFarmer’s Market’, illustrated with a woman pushing a man in a wheelbarrow full of vegetables, and ‘DTFoot The Bill’, accompanied by two feet, one holding money, the other one clutching a wallet – to the outspoken: ‘DTFight About The President’ sees a blue hand thumb wrestling a red hand in a ring, while ‘DTFilter Out The Far Right’ is accompanied by a hand throwing a gun down a toilet.

Some are outright silly, such as ‘DTFour Twenty’, illustrated with a couple sitting on a flying loveseat. There’s also an ad depicting a same-sex couple holding each other with the phrase ‘DTFall Head Over Heels’. At the bottom of each is OKCupid’s logo with the tagline ‘Dating Deserves Better’. The advertisements will run across OKCupid’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts, as well as on billboards and subways in New York. They will also be up in Austin and Portland.

DTFight about the President. Photograpy: Pierpaolo Ferrari

‘Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari are two of the most interesting, talented, provocative artists around today,’ adds Hobley. ‘They are of course known for making a statement with their art, so when we started talking about this mission of reclaiming “DTF”, they had as much passion as the OKCupid team and even more creativity. They were truly the perfect fit and we’re so excited with how they brought this mission and a conversation about dating to life.’

Will the high-art ToiletPaper ads for OKCupid result in the kind of discerning audience that Wallpaper’s foray in dating apps – Wallflower* – sought to attract? That’s the question on our minds.