Meme accounts are common with the student body at Fordham University. @fordumbuniversity and @fordhamaffirmations are two accounts that have amassed thousands of followers from funny, witty posts.

In the recent semester, the Instagram account @fordham_flirts has taken Fordham University by storm. With 132 posts and roughly 1,600 followers in almost two months, it has become a fan favorite on both the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

The account functions through its inimitable anonymity. Students can submit their words of admiration for their peers through an anonymous form, maintaining the secrecy of both their own identity and the identity of the person about whom they are writing. The submissions are thoroughly reviewed and then posted daily in photo carousels on the Instagram account. The owner, who has asked to remain anonymous, stated that the account receives about “50 [submissions] a day.”

The account owner has emphasized that they do not post any overtly “explicit” or “fetishizing flirts,” as the ethos of the account is to remain playful yet respectful. This goal of mutual respect has allowed the account to grow massively and build a rapport of trust with its following, according to the account owner. The account’s reach has extended to the Lincoln Center campus, with dozens of flirts comparing the dating pool between boroughs.

Inspired by a friend at St. Olaf’s College, the creator of Fordham Flirts said they “[weren’t] particularly surprised when [the account] started becoming really popular,” but were excited by its growth. They adhere to a strict schedule of three posts per day and post about 30 flirts per day, after filtering out any inappropriate submissions. The account moderator said they have received no indication that university administration is aware of the account’s existence.

Bella Sabino, FCRH ’24, was recently a subject of intense admiration on the account, receiving dozens of flirts from anonymous students. One reads “It’s clear that there are multiple guys/girls interested in Bella S, so I propose a duel in the middle of Eddie’s,” and another stating, “I have the fattest fattest crush on Bella S.” The account has a dedicated carousel of photos to submissions only about Sabino.

Stating that her friends have only submitted “one or two flirts” about her as a joke, Sabino has no idea where the surge of submission popularity came from but said she is unbothered by the attention. Her only knowledge about the account and its owner is that they might be a sophomore in O’Hare Hall. However, she “[likes] the fact that they’re willing to delete posts if they make people uncomfortable” and finds the account “super cute” and “lighthearted.”

This seems to be a common theme among Fordham students, with the account gaining enough credibility to receive direct messages about “looking for a roommate” and other mundane queries, said the founder.

If students want their flirt to be posted, they must follow strict criteria, explained the account owner. First, the flirt can’t be “vague” or “crazy and fetishizing” and has to be, to a certain degree, entertaining enough for the account’s followers to enjoy. A flirt is most likely to be posted if it is “specific [with] first name and last initial, or a not-creepy description of your objection of affection” and “cute,” perhaps with a pun or some clever wordplay, according to the account’s submission form. Students can only submit through the anonymous form in the account’s Instagram bio rather than through direct message; those submissions are never posted, explained the account owner.

The owner said they have experienced skyrocketing success with the account and hope it continues to grow semester after semester, akin to that of its fellow meme accounts.

By maintaining its consistent posting schedule and keeping students invested through anonymity, Fordham Flirts seems poised to become a pillar of Fordham’s social scene for semesters to come.