I met my boyfriend on Tinder. Let's get that out of the way now. I unashamedly met someone I love deeply on a hookup website and I'm here to tell you why that's okay.

When I started college, I didn't really have intentions of pursuing any type of romantic relationship. I'm a busy person and I didn't want to focus too much on something that I knew I wouldn't be able to devote a ton of time to. I did, however, download Tinder because I mean, hey, casual flings are easier and I figured there wasn't much to lose. Boy, was I wrong about what that decision would do to my life.

If we're being honest, most people use Tinder as a hookup site. It's easy to find people, make enough of a connection to sleep with them, and move on. I didn't have any intention of really using Tinder in that manner, but I also didn't have any intention of meeting a long-term partner on it either. I figured maybe meet someone, date for a little bit, move on. I'd be lying if I told you I had any other intention even when I met my now boyfriend. It just wasn't something I was interested in.

The trouble with having any other intention besides hookups (and being plus sized) is that people don't want to talk to you. So when I received a cheesy pickup line from a profile that wasn't a bot, I was both excited and leery. I didn't think anything would come of it, figured the conversation would end pretty quickly, so when the boy kept wanting to talk to me, it was almost too good to be true. Long story short, he hasn't stopped talking to me, so even though it feels too good to be true, it's become a reality for me.

A year and a half (or so) later, we're still together. We've gone on vacation, been to a wedding, had movie dates, and even have pet mice together. We spend weeknights video-chatting while he's on a job and I'm studying, then use our few Saturday nights for snuggles and fast food. He supports me in my educational endeavors and I support him in his career moves. We're just like any other couple.

Us meeting on Tinder hasn't made our relationship less than or flawed. Most people are honestly surprised to learn we met on a hookup app. The truth of it all is that as much as people like to bash millennial dating culture, there's still so much good in it. So what that we didn't meet "the old fashioned way?" I wouldn't trade this for the world and I hope people start to realize how silly it is to look down on something that clearly is working for some of us.