You've heard of ghosting, and even zombie-ing, but it turns out the newest dating trend is even weirder... Shrekking.
Yes, that is Shrekking, as in the big green ogre, Shrek - and it's even more savage than it sounds.
While most of us have a soft spot for Shrek (who doesn't love Shrek 2?), you seriously don't want to experience Shrekking.
So what is it?
Well, according to TikTok it means giving someone you consider below your standards a chance, with the thought that you'll be safe from getting hurt as they will appreciate that you are out of their league.
However, the "ogre" in question that you've strategically chosen to date then still still manages to mess you around or break your heart.
Voila, you have been Shrekked.
TikTok user Bekah, who posts under the handle thisiswhyimsingle2024, explained: "A new dating term just came out, it's called getting Shrekked.
"It's where you're traumatized by a man who literally looks like Shrek. And we've all been there, we give the guy we're not attracted to a chance, thinking that he will for sure know what he has and treat us well, and then we get traumatized by a whole troll."
There are many ways this particular trend is pretty problematic.
Firstly, if you think of the person you're seeing as an ogre who is "beneath" your standards, should you even be dating them in the first place?
And that's without unpacking how superficial it is to rank people based solely on their looks...
While being attracted to a potential partner is important, there are far more factors that can influence whether your relationship works and if you are compatible as people.
Superficial characteristics can fade, but real connections should go deeper than just a person's looks, and if you feel like you are of higher value than your partner and are doing them a favor by deigning to date them, you might be the problem, too.
However, that's also not an excuse for the "Shrekker" to behave poorly in a relationship, but that is a whole different matter.
Regardless, if you "date down" as a way to avoid getting hurt, while not being majorly into your partner, the best case scenario is that you end up stuck with a person you're not attracted to.
And the worst case scenario? They might do you dirty anyway, particularly if they catch wind of the fact that you're comparing them to a big green ogre that lives in a swamp.
So maybe next time it's worth investing your time in someone you actually like - and hopefully they won't see you as the "Shrek" in that relationship.