A priest from Shropshire has spoken publicly about her experiences using dating apps, describing the awkward situations that arise when keeping her calling hidden online. Pippa White, known as the TikTok Vicar, recently appeared on This Morning to reveal the difficulties she faces in finding romance while serving as a member of the Church of England clergy.
The Path To Becoming A Vicar
Pippa’s journey began unexpectedly. She studied history but couldn’t settle on a career. During a conversation, she joked about ridiculous professions — plumber, astronaut — until the word “vicar” slipped out and stuck. She trained for ten years, and along the way she found that her fellow clergy weren’t always easy to connect with.
Why Dating Apps Won The Day
Pippa’s move toward dating apps was driven by where she lived. She describes Shropshire as having a fairly static, older population, which made it hard to find another young person nearby. She recalls attending a christening where a godfather stared at her in a way that clearly wasn’t about his duties, and that moment pushed her toward apps.
What She Hides On Her Profile
Pippa doesn’t reveal her field of work on her dating app profiles. She lists her workplace as the Church of England and her religion as Christianity, but nothing more. She has found that explicitly stating she’s a priest can make her profile seem less serious, or even attract negative attention. She also avoids photos with the clergy collar.
The Awkward Conversations That Follow
Her dating awkwardness stems from how she only hints at what she does for work. When the eventual “So what do you do for work?” comes up, she finds it dreadful. Some men start asking a million questions, which makes her feel interrogated. Others start making unsolicited confessions. She does admit, though, that there are guys who don’t make a big deal out of her field, which she finds refreshing.
Her Biggest Gripes With The Modern Scene
The thing she takes issue with most is the pickup lines. Many men rely on the same one or two lines for every woman they talk to, and she finds that approach problematic. Pippa believes it treats women as more disposable, and it leaves conversations feeling extremely manufactured.
What She Actually Wants
She’s looking for a partner who fits two criteria:
- Someone she’d be happy to see at the end of her day.
- Someone with a sense of humor, which she describes as an absolute necessity.
The primary objective is finding a nice person, while the funny requirement comes from her own standards rather than anyone else’s.
The Reception In The Comments
Commenters were supportive of her message and impressed by her looks and character. One noted that Dawn French’s “The Vicar of Dibley” was a very cute show, while another pointed to the Swedish series “Ett herrans liv.”
The Takeaway
Pippa’s tale brings something new to modern Christianity. Through social media, she discovered a wider community, becoming the “TikTok Vicar,” connecting with young women priests and like-minded people across the globe. That feeling of being part of something larger gave her a clearer sense of what lay ahead on her path.
She does not use dating apps defensively; instead, she takes a practical approach. She conceals her calling to sidestep awkward questions and the occasional line of inquiry, while she hopes her candor allows others to perceive that members of the clergy can be open to romantic connections just like anyone else.
Men will ask questions about her work that treat her field as a subject for interrogation instead of just a matter of fact, and they will offer pickup lines. Awkward conversations happen too. Through it all, Pippa stays cheerful.
Pippa White’s video is up for viewing in its entirety, and the reaction from viewers shows that her message reached well past Shropshire.
See the video the story is built around at Bored Panda.
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