Unusual Trends in Romance: Exploring the Strange, the Normal, and the Indifferent in American Courtships
In the realm of modern dating, a new term has emerged to describe quirks that may not necessarily be dealbreakers or clear positives, but rather subtle traits that could indicate a lack of distinctiveness or engagement. These traits are known as "beige flags".
The concept of beige flags was first discussed in a New York Times article in June 2023 and gained popularity on social media. A survey conducted in July 2023 involving over 2,000 Americans helped identify these common minor quirks that people recognize as beige flags in dating.
Examples of beige flags often include a lack of enthusiasm or passion for anything in particular, giving vague or generic answers about themselves, exhibiting predictable, routine behavior without spontaneity, and responses or interests that seem bland or uninspired. Minimal effort in conversations or activities during dates also falls under this category.
The top beige flags across the country are as follows:
- Making moderately controversial opinions a significant part of one's personality is the number one beige flag in the United States. This trend appears to be more important to young people than older generations.
- Referencing mainstream sitcoms frequently is the second biggest beige flag in dating.
- For men, making brunch a major staple to their personality is the number one beige flag in dating.
- Amongst the women polled, holding a picture of a fish in their profile or dating photo is a top beige flag.
- In North Carolinians, fishing demonstrations in their profile picture are their number one beige flag.
- Amongst the Americans surveyed, having an excessive amount of alarms on one's phone is the third biggest beige flag in dating.
- In South Dakota, "making controversial opinions your entire personality" is the number one beige flag.
- In Vermont, both hating cilantro and being into cryptocurrency are tied as the top beige flags.
- Wyoming finds it odd when people are highly active on non-social platforms like Google Reviews, Waze, etc.
- An example of a beige flag given in a New York Times article is dunking Oreos in water instead of milk.
- Women express discomfort with fish pictures in dating profiles, similar to how men feel about brunch being used as a personality trait.
While these beige flags may not be dealbreakers, they can contribute to a sense of complacency or lack of meaningful distinctiveness in a partner, making dating feel mundane or uninspiring. The term "beige flags" joins other dating "flag" terms like red (danger signals) and yellow (caution signals) flags, reflecting how people form impressions about behavior in modern dating contexts.
It's important to note that specifics from the survey were not available in the sources, and there was inconclusive data for analysis of non-binary, transgender, and other gender identification's beige flags. The survey likely helped identify these common minor quirks that people recognize as beige flags in dating, but further research is needed to understand these trends across various demographics.
In the realm of blogging, discussing 'beige flags' within the context of lifestyle, relationships, and entertainment could offer insights for a captivating article. For instance, one could delve into how certain behaviors, such as frequent references to mainstream sitcoms, a lack of unique passions, or an excessive amount of alarms on one's phone, might negatively impact one's perceived engagement and distinctiveness. Additionally, exploring how these 'beige flags' might extend beyond dating into other realms of life could provide an interestingComparative analysis.
