Kittenfishing Is the Newest Online Dating Trend to Watch Out For

You've heard of catfishing, but have you heard of the diet version of this deceitful practice?

Let us introduce you to Kittenfishing, the newest way to get scammed on a dating app. Coined by the dating app Hinge, it's essentially defined as presenting yourself on a dating app in an unrealistically positive way.

This could be as simple as using profile photos that are outrageously outdated or heavily edited. Or it can be more emotional, like straight-up lying about your talents, interests, or accomplishments. It can even come in the form of slight exaggerations that lead people to think you are someone you're not.

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When it comes down to it, kittenfishing is just lying light. People who catfish take lying to extreme measures, but a kittenfisher misleads in more subtle ways.

It's an act that even the best us have probably been guilty of to some extent. When we meet someone online we want to put our best foot forward, and even if it's not meant to be malicious, we might bend the truth a bit in order to appear more appealing.

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It's not a super new phenomenon either. Way before Tinder was even a twinkle in our online dating eye, people have been dishonest on the internet in order to gain approval from others. But one good thing that can come from giving this behavior a name. It can help shed light on our own insincere practices and hopefully inspire us to be more honest.

When you're behind a screen it's a lot easier to be cool and confident than in real life interactions. But never forget that eventually you're gonna have to meet someone IRL, and it's gonna be pretty clear that you're not 10 years younger than you are or that you're not a person who is passionate about parasailing.

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