Name: Shrekking.
Age: Shrek the book came out in 1990. Shrek the film came out in 2001 (and went on to become a major franchise). Shrek the verb is more recent.
I Shrek, you Shrek, he/she Shreks? Generally used in gerund form: Shrekking. Though also observed in passive voice with the past participle, for example: I have been Shrekked.
Have you been Shrekked? No! Well, I don’t know. Maybe …
At which point it’s probably time to find out what Shrekking is. It’s a dating trend for gen Zs.
Stepping out with a lime green ogre with a Scottish accent and tubular ears? No. Well, maybe. Kinda …
More explanation please. It means dating someone you consider to be below your standards, looks-wise.
And what is the reason for Shrekking? The most common explanation is that if you’ve suffered a lot of heartbreak, perhaps by dating “down” you will be more in charge and less likely to get hurt.
A theory that not only assumes that people fit on to a numerical scale of attractiveness, but also that a relationship is basically a power battle. Well, yeah. Duh! But I can offer an alternative – perhaps less toxic – reason for Shrekking.
If you wouldn’t mind. Perhaps gen Zs are beginning to look beyond filtered visual perfection, to something more genuine. Maybe even redefining what attractiveness means.
Yeah, right. I’ve got stats to prove it.
Go on. Tinder’s Future of Dating report got singles to prioritise attributes in a potential partner. Loyalty (79%), respect (78%) and open-mindedness (61%) all came in ahead of looks (56%).
Got a quote? Tinder’s resident relationships expert, Devyn Simone, said: “When you focus on who someone really is, rather than just how they look, you open the door to a deeper connection.”
Now we’re talking: give me the key to that door! Though the whole idea of Shrekking still sounds a bit dehumanising. Jenna Bush Hager agrees.
Daughter of Dubya, granddaughter of Bush Sr? Also a journalist in her own right. Shrekking “feels like a mean trend to me” she said on her show Today with Jenna & Friends. “It’s when somebody dates a partner that they feel is less attractive and hopes they’ll treat them better.” She also said it was mean to Shrek himself, who she described as “so handsome”.
True. And “to get Shrekked”, what does that mean then? That’s when you date down but end up getting rejected or treated badly by a person who you consider to be less attractive. The ultimate humiliation!
Do say: “Well, it gets me out of the swamp … ”
Don’t say: “So when are you going to introduce me to Donkey?”
