With the onset of social media, dating apps and just plain ol’ laziness, the dating world is a strange and sometimes scary place -- even more so when you don’t know what the hell people are talking about when they tell you their relationship status. "We’re talking," "We’re very open," "We’re not labeling anything." Uh, okay?
There’s a slew of new “dating” terms that have popped up recently, but how many of these are you familiar with?
A step below outright catfishing, someone will display themselves in a better light on social media than they may appear in the flesh. A younger-looking photo, a few inches added to your height...things like that. Nev Schulman would be on it in a second.
Breezy = blunt. Instead of playing games and teasing a date, this trend is all about saying what you’re in for and what you’re not. It’s like, so mature.
Like a ghost, this person will disappear into thin air after sparking a date or two. Thanks to social media and our tendency to build a relationship through texting and "liking" photos, it’s relatively easy for people to essentially Irish exit out of a blooming flirtationship. A variation includes the “Casper,” where you run into a past ghoster and they act like everything's cool, man!
Post-ghost, an old relationship will start up again after a long period apart, as if nothing happened. Also called “zombie-ing,” it’s like the relationship came back from the dead (where it should have stayed).
When an old flame is still popping up on your social media without ever saying anything again, you’ve got an orbiter. In fact, I’ll bet everyone with a social media account has an orbiter -- I know I do.
Someone will keep their distance from a potential partner, giving them just enough to keep them interested without actually asking for a date. Don’t be a Gretel to this Hansel.
Basically, this is the act of having a “side piece.” In case a current flame doesn’t work out in the end, a cushioner has a different date on the back burner juuust close enough to reel in if necessary.
This person will avoid any and all opportunity to introduce a partner to family or friends. It could be cute -- “I want you all to myself!” -- but it’s probably a red flag, FYI.
Like our favorite doomed Old Sport, Gatsbying is the art of displaying an air of luxury or affluence (whether it’s material or otherwise) in order to impress a potential suitor, even if it’s all based on pretense.