Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Latest Issue
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Autumn Winter 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    1. Life
    2. Relationships

    White walking is coming (yes, another dating trend)

    Jadie Troy-Pryde's avatar
    By Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Published 7 December 2020 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Office sex
    Office sex
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    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.

    You may like
    • Louise O'Neill started dating at 39 -- here's what she learnt I Started Dating Again at 39. Here Are 21 Things I Learned About Men
    • A woman running into the sunset on the beach "Soft Hermitting" Is Trending on TikTok—and Promises to Be the Antidote to Hustle Culture
    • Wicker husband: Alexander Skarsgård and Olivia Coleman in the new film Wicker Move Over Regular Men and AI Boyfriends, The “Wicker Husband” Has Arrived

    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.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    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
    Jadie Troy-Pryde
    Social Links Navigation
    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.

    Read more
    Louise O'Neill started dating at 39 -- here's what she learnt
    Relationships I Started Dating Again at 39. Here Are 21 Things I Learned About Men
    A woman running into the sunset on the beach
    Wellbeing "Soft Hermitting" Is Trending on TikTok—and Promises to Be the Antidote to Hustle Culture
     
     
    Wicker husband: Alexander Skarsgård and Olivia Coleman in the new film Wicker
    Relationships Move Over Regular Men and AI Boyfriends, The “Wicker Husband” Has Arrived
    Best walking pads: A woman on a walking pad at home getting her daily steps in
    Fitness Walking Pads Are the Ultimate Winter Fitness Buy—8 Best To Transform Your WFH Routine
     
     
    Latest in Relationships
    Abstract woman portrait in glitch style - stock photo
    Relationships His Girlfriend Died. Eight Years Later, An AI Version Of Her Replied
    Why We Hold Onto Things From Our Past: A Collection of Sentimental Keepsakes, Old Photographs and Letters
    Relationships Why Is It So Hard to Throw Away Things From Our Past?
     
     
    Louise O'Neill started dating at 39 -- here's what she learnt
    Relationships I Started Dating Again at 39. Here Are 21 Things I Learned About Men
    Toni Tone What It Feels Like to Unlearn Everything You Thought Love Was
    Relationships “I’m Not Looking for Anyone to Make Me Happy” — Toni Tone on People-Pleasing, Self-Worth and Healthy Love
     
     
    Latest in Features
    Abstract woman portrait in glitch style - stock photo
    Relationships His Girlfriend Died. Eight Years Later, An AI Version Of Her Replied
    Best Treatments for Eye Wrinkles, Dark Circles and Hooded Eyes
    Skincare From Dark Circles to Drooping Lids—An Expert Guide to What Really Works for Every Eye Concern
     
     
    Women walking and running; through a city and on a beach.
    Fitness Run Free, Stay Safe: The Impossible Double Standard Facing Women Who Run
    collage of October fashion collaborations
    Fashion From Rixo to Burberry and M&S Lingerie, These are the Fashion Collaborations We’re Excited About Right Now
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.