What comes before Lockdown engagement? Corona-cuffing. This dating term appeared around March 2020 and refers to the “act of pressing fast forward on dating and going straight to the serious relationship stage, due to the challenging experience of being a single person during lockdown” (Glamour). Fear of missing out, maybe fear of dying alone is a strong motivator during a global pandemic when people are seeing their loved ones getting sick and possibly dying from Covid-19.
Single people have been particularly challenged by Covid restrictions, lockdown and quarantine. For many, it has made their loneliness more difficult to live with. An article published for Glamour on September 24, 2020 featured an interview with Rebecca, a 32 year old from London who “corona-cuffed” out of loneliness:
“I started talking to a guy on Hinge just before lockdown and quite literally locked him down for quarantine. It has totally enhanced my lockdown experience having someone to talk to every day and we even went on a post-quarantine holiday together, but I know he’s not The One. I was just desperate to lock someone down since I couldn’t date IRL – but things are already starting to go south as we adjust to ‘normal’ again. But, I don’t want to call things off because I’m so scared I won’t find anyone before the next lockdown.
Glamour
The Redonline magazine featured an interview with Hinge’s Director of Relationship Science, Logan Ury, who said: “Cuffing season is a period of time after the fun summer of love and being single, before the cold, lonely months of winter when people really want to get into a relationship.” There are downsides to rushing into relationships with people you hardly know especially when commitments are made too quickly. Ury continues that “Hinge are now seeing a lot more intentional daters on the app, who have used their time alone during lockdown to re-assess their dating habits” (Ilston).
Check out the informational video below as Iman Hariri-Kia, Bustle’s relationship editor, discuss the advantages and risks of settling down with a short term partner during a pandemic.
Social Media Trends as of October 2, 2022
Facebook #coronacuffing: people are posting about this
Instagram #coronacuffing: 23 posts
Google Trends: surprisingly “corona-cuffing” did not get picked up by the Google search engine. This may change in the future.
Sources:
Bustle channel. “Does Covid Cancel Cuffing Season?” YouTube. December 24, 2020. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEz9RKowJIc.
dangremonster. “love in the time of corona” meme. Reddit. 2020. URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/CoronavirusMemes/comments/fd2d0g/love_in_the_time_of_corona/.
“The Corona-cuff.” Glamour. September 24, 2020. URL: https://www.glamour.co.za/wellness/corona-cuffing-is-the-new-lockdown-dating-trend-thats-seeing-everyone-coupling-up-because-of-the-10pm-curfews-and-ban-on-casual-sex-rules-aa48c074-deee-46cf-aaf6-98d53886aed6.
Ilston, Sarah. “The new dating trend that’s doubled in popularity since lockdown.” Redonline. 30 October 2020. URL: https://www.redonline.co.uk/wellbeing/sex-relationships/a34492908/covid-cuffing-dating-trend/.