As if dating wasn't hard enough already, there is something new for people to avoid and it's bad news for the Bens amongst us because the "Ben stage" isn't exactly complimentary. Finding love can often seem like an impossible task in a world full of dating apps, ghosting, and emotionally unavailable people. So when something new comes along that makes the dating pool even smaller, it's a bitter pill to swallow. Many people wouldn't want to date a 'Karen', but what about a 'Ben'? A new dating phase that is being referred to as the "Ben stage" has taken the internet by storm as people are being warned to be cautious about their next partner. A TikTok posted by Gubster has been viewed over 12 million times, and during the five-second video she pulls an awkward face alongside a text overlay that reads: "Seeing any girl go through her Ben stage." [[tiktokwidget||https://www.tiktok.com/@iamgubster/video/7198137322611789061]] The video is rounded off by Florence and the Machine singing "you better run" with Gubster appearing to instruct everyone to adhere to the message. But what is the "Ben stage"? Well, according to the <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2023/02/22/the-ben-stage-is-the-tiktok-dating-trend-thats-all-about-lessons-18327415/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Metro</a>, it's when you go through a "period of unhappy or unfulfilling relationships, either with one person or a series of similarly rubbish partners." Seemingly a phase that most of us go through, the "Ben stage" is part of our romantic life that we look back on in later years and cringe - but learn some valuable lessons while doing so. So, Bens everywhere that are getting more and more concerned, it would seem that this new stage of dating refers to vibes as opposed to actual people called Ben. People took the comments of the TikTok video where they revealed their own Ben dating sagas. One person wrote: "My Ben stage was literally named Ben… this is hitting way to close to home. But also love it because I feel so seen." <img class="size-full wp-image-1263202200" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/03/Screenshot-2023-03-23-at-13.25.34.png" alt="" width="1338" height="158" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: TikTok]] A second added: "My ben stage actually broke me and I had to go to therapy lmao," with a third saying: "My ben stage ruined me." <img class="size-full wp-image-1263202201" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/03/Screenshot-2023-03-23-at-13.26.10.png" alt="" width="1317" height="132" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: TikTok]] <img class="size-full wp-image-1263202202" src="https://img.vt.co/2023/03/Screenshot-2023-03-23-at-13.26.31.png" alt="" width="1385" height="120" />[[imagecaption|| Credit: TikTok]] Another comment added that the "only valid Ben is Ben Wyatt from Parks and Rec," which is completely valid. Have you been through a Ben stage, or are you called Ben and you're feeling attacked? Let us know in the comments! <h6>Featured image credit: Kemal Eroğlu / Alamy</h6>

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