Hands up?
Words - Madison Vanderberg
From the editors of HelloGiggles
Ever since the world was blessed and cursed with the introduction of dating apps like Tinder, dating has become a bizarre subculture all its own. Back in the day, two people dated until they weren’t dating. That’s it. Now, dating is a puzzle you have to outsmart. You've got a bevy of unwanted dating trends - ghosting, stashing, submarining, cushioning, zombieing - the list is never ending.
As we gear up for what the kids call cuffing season, we have to mention another dating trend known as drafting season.
But we’re hesitant to lump drafting season in with all the other toxic 'dating trends'. Nobody wants to be ghosted, nobody wants to break someone’s hearts, but you probably participated in drafting season before without even realizing it.
Cuffing season refers to the fall and winter months — a time that some would rather spend with a serious significant other, as opposed to being single or playing the field around the holidays. While summer was time for fun in the sun and casual dating, drafting season is the time where you get serious about finding that someone to share cuffing season with. You’re literally drafting people to date.
Translation: Drafting season is when you take dating more seriously at the end of summer and before the holidays start.
If you’ve ever looked at the calendar, saw that Thanksgiving was around the corner and subconsciously re-downloaded Bumble for the umpteenth time because “it would be cool to bring someone home this year,” then you participated in drafting season without even realizing it. This is why we don’t think drafting season is the worst because a lot of people want someone for cuffing season, and it would only make sense that they would take dating more seriously in the fall months.
However, there are those who abuse it, just like every other dating trend. Someone may be playing the field during drafting season because they just need to find someone to last until Valentine’s Day. That person definitely sucks and we hope you don’t run into THAT person this drafting season.