White walking is coming (yes, another dating trend)

Office sex
Office sex

When Game of Thrones fans hear 'White Walking', they probably assume it has something to do with the undead army coming for Jon Snow in the icy north.

Actually, it's yet another dating trend - and of all of them (scrooging, cushioning, the age-old favourite ghosting) it's pretty outrageous and we can't quite believe that it's a thing.

Research by dating app Plenty of Fish showed that, sadly, it is.

Remember cuffing season? It's the time of year when people attempt to find a significant other so they have someone to stay in and snuggle with when it's cold outside? Well, White Walking is cuffing season's frugal cousin.

PoF describe the new dating trend as 'actively seeking a new date for Valentine’s Day, directly linked to a cold snap or snow storm.' Great.

In other words, some people are so very concerned with their heating bills in February - around Valentine's Day - that they try and find a partner to keep them warm instead.

A survey of over 650 British Plenty of Fish users also showed that just under half of singletons claim they have received an anonymous Valentine's Day gift or card (although this sounds totally made up because does anyone even send anonymous cards once they've left primary school?). One in five millennials admit that they've received Valentine's from their parents (sad but can relate), and over a third are done with the whole thing and would tell their partner to skip the day altogether.

We're not exactly getting into the romantic spirit, with 28% of participants revealing that they'd prefer to pretend the day doesn't even exist, and 37% of singles believing that it's the worst day of the year to get engaged because it's too predictable.

Will it stop the influx of 'I said yes!' posts on Facebook come February 15th? Probs not.

Jadie Troy-Pryde
News Editor

Jadie Troy-Pryde is News Editor, covering celebrity and entertainment, royal, lifestyle and viral news. Before joining the team in 2018 as the Lifestyle and Social Media Editor, she worked at a number of women’s fashion and lifestyle titles including Grazia, Women’s Health and Stylist, and now heads the Marie Claire UK news desk.