Brownie Marie, who is well-known for her lively interviews speaking with high-profile celebrities, is stepping into a new business venture and taking back control of her dating life simultaneously.
Marie recently launched her dating app, Fox Hunters Club, which assists millennial women who are looking for committed relationships with older men in the New York City area. After finding that options aligned with her dating preferences were limited on popular apps, Marie decided to fill the gap.
And while we have heard the terms “sugar baby” and “sugar daddies,” the Fox Hunters Club is not that kind of app. Using modern technology, Marie intentionally created a platform for non-transactional connections between millennials and Generation X or baby boomers. Nevertheless, Marie is aware that there will be critics.
We recently spoke with the journalist and tech guru to learn more about the app, dismantling the stigma around age gaps in dating, and what her hopes are for potential users.
ESSENCE: As a celebrity journalist, how did you find yourself in the tech space?
Brownie Marie: So, not many people know this, but my day job has been in tech for about 10 years now. I’ve been a tech executive for startups in Silicon Valley and New York City. So, I guess it was kind of inevitable that I would become a tech entrepreneur.
What inspired you, your experiences included, to create this app?
During the pandemic, I decided to start a couple of businesses. I started lifeentertainmentnews.com, which is an entertainment lifestyle news site. I was looking to start a second business and wasn’t sure what that would be. I was single, and I got back on dating apps. Most of the mainstream apps, OkCupid, Plenty of Fish, Hinge, and The League, are owned by the Match Group. So I’m on these apps, and people are very much skewed younger than what I was looking for. For example, on Hinge, it is 25. I can change the age preference, you know, move that slider up, but then it’s slim pickings because it’s not the numbers.
So, I just Googled “dating apps for older men and women,” and nothing came up but sugar baby apps. That was it. I did try a sugar baby app. It’s not for me. The men expected it to be very transactional. And that’s not at all what I was looking for. So, I just realized if you were interested in dating someone older but wanted a serious, committed relationship, there wasn’t an app out there for you.
Who would you say this app is for? Is it a certain kind of person or any individual who is interested in trying to date an older man?
I am targeting millennial women, so not really 20-somethings. I wouldn’t stop a 20-something from signing up, but my target for women is really 30 and up. For men, it’s really 45 and up. So it’s Gen X or older on the male side. For both genders, I am looking for people who are going after a serious, committed relationship. That’s the common denominator for the men and the women on the app.
Do you believe there is a stigma around women dating men with a significant age difference? If so, how do you hope this app can dismantle it?
Absolutely, there’s a stigma. The immediate assumption when I say older men is that I’m a sugar baby. This is the first app for millennial women looking for older men for a serious relationship. So, being the first, that education piece is going to be there. Talking about it and letting the general public know that these relationships exist and that this dynamic exists is already doing so much. Some other things that I’m doing in my marketing and talking points are to make things crystal clear when I do in-person events and sponsor events. I’m going to make sure that the target audience doesn’t get things misconstrued regarding what the app is for. In my terms of use, of course, I have no asking for gifts, no asking for money, no solicitations, etc. All of that is prohibited.
How did you come up with the name? And is there any concern that people might misrepresent it as a place for not-so-serious connections to be made (i.e., people looking for “sugar daddies”)
So, an older man with gray hair or salt and pepper beard, facial hair, which I think is so sexy, is a silver fox. And then you can also think of a woman being called a fox. In regard to the hunting aspect, that is very much how I approached dating when I was single. I would literally walk into a room, scan the room, find the guys I thought were attractive, see if they had a ring on, and watch the vibe.
People have been asking me questions, perhaps thinking of it as transactional. So, I think that the imagery, as far as my logo and the name are concerned, is eye-catching and gets folks’ attention. But then, from there, I’m also backing it up with a very clear flyer promotion. It says flat out, “Older men, millennial women, no sugar babies.”
Based on your research, what are the most common challenges users face that prevent them from finding a good match on a dating app?
Something that’s really common, especially for women, is that our inbox gets flooded. And it can be very overwhelming. For men, they don’t have that experience. They’re also just trying to get matches. And it can be really discouraging on that side. On the flip side, it can be overwhelming to see the number of messages that women get. Feeling like you have to keep as many conversations going as possible to cast a wide net. That’s just simply not true. I would recommend that you don’t try to talk to too many people at once. Unless you have a great memory and can compartmentalize, you’re not gonna give that many people your sincere attention. Once you’re chatting with someone, you’re on the same page, and you have some chemistry going, try to give people more of your time. It’s like quality over quantity.
Another challenge is getting on the same page with someone, seeing if you’re gonna be compatible when you’re not talking on the phone and you’re not meeting in person, which is healthy. I always discourage meeting up too early.
Why do you believe people will have better luck with the Fox Hunters Club?
Since Fox Hunters Club is only for people seeking committed relationships, there’ll be fewer individuals casting a wide net and fewer individuals just swiping mindlessly. Hopefully, there will be more folks who are interested in quality over quantity. If you do match, it should be more of a sincere match because of what the niche is. It’s not for everyone. So that automatically is gonna whittle it down. Our members are looking for something healthy, lasting, and attainable. I think even having that mindset makes a big difference when you’re in a relationship. So, all of that will be a recipe for success, at least as far as numbers go on the app. You’ll have a better chance if that is what you’re looking for in older men and a serious relationship.
For more information about Fox Hunters Club, visit foxhuntersclub.com and follow @foxhuntersclub on Instagram, X, and Facebook.