Forget about the chocolates and the flowers. This Valentine’s Day, you need a dictionary.
Today, there is a lot of new lingo surrounding the dating scene. Relationships used to be black and white: you were dating or you weren’t, but now, there is far more gray area. People can be “talking,” “together,” “hooking up,” “a thing,” “gal pals,” and don’t even get me started on “Netflix and chilling.”
So what’s the difference? Does anyone really know?
The main issue here is the disparity between definitions, much like the confusion between the bases (for a long time I thought second base was holding hands, but apparently I was very wrong). There’s no official definition for each term, so one can define their relationship differently than their partner, which might get a little bit awkward.
Let’s take Ben and Jenny for example. Jenny thinks they are a thing, but Ben thinks they are just talking. If you ask their friends, 64 percent will say they’re just hooking up, but the other 36 percent call them a thing. So, as Oprah would say, what is the truth?
If Ben thinks they’re just talking, then he probably won’t get Jenny a gift for Valentine’s Day, but if Jenny thinks they’re a thing, then she’s probably expecting a gift. One word? Yikes. So, to avoid this Valentine’s Day Debacle, let’s try and clear up a few terms.
Talking: Based on the name, I’d assume this involves some talking between two people, via text message or Snapchat—maybe even in person.
Hooking up: Well, this is pretty self explanatory. Saying that two people hooked up implies that there was some lip-locking involved.
Netflix and Chill: (verb) When one goes over to another’s house under the guise of watching Netflix, when really, they’ll be doing less watching and more smooching.
A thing: It’s like hooking up 2.0; hooking up with strings; exclusive.
Gal Pals: Two girls that are obviously dating, and yet people still call them BFFs. Because platonic dating is apparently a thing.
Together: The step after a thing and before dating? This one’s a little unclear…I’ll get back to you on that.
Dating: At last! The ultimate stage in the relationship where everything is clear and defined. No gray area here.
So, if you’re confused about what stage of the relationship you and your significant other are at, then you should probably refer to this handy guide. Maybe take a look at it together and see which category you two fall under. And then this Valentine’s Day, you won’t even have to worry.