“Kittenfishing” is the newest online dating buzzword, and it’s not as cute as it sounds

When it comes to online dating, we have a lot of terms. The newest is “kittenfishing,” and it isn’t as cute as it sounds. The term was coined by the dating app Hinge. And basically, it means that you make yourself seem way different than you actually are. People who are “kittenfishing” might be using photos that are ten years old, or lying about what their career is, or making up an interesting talent or hobby that they don’t actually have.

It’s basically a tamer version of catfishing.

The act of “kittenfishing” is simple. You go online, you use outdated or edited pictures, and you lie about your personality traits. That’s it. Now, it doesn’t necessarily have to be flat-out lies. It can be inflating things about yourself to make you seem way cooler than you actually are.

But it is easy to see why people are angry about it. Tbh, we’re kinda angry just hearing about it.

It is essentially lying about who you are. It’s like catfishing, but you’re using your real picture — though it may be heavily edited and from many years ago. And lying about your personality is just as bad as lying about your face.

So while “kittenfishing” is a little tamer, it still isn’t good. Dating apps are already hard enough, and presenting yourself in a way that isn’t true doesn’t really help matters. It’s still lying.

So maybe just don’t lie on dating apps? That’s not beneficial to anyone, especially the person you’re swiping for.