What Is Stashing, The Latest Dating Trend?

As if dating wasn't already hard enough, now there's a whole new dating trend to worry about: stashing. In a dating world where we already have to deal with paperclipping, ghosting, and love bombing, stashing almost doesn't seem too bad in comparison, but this trend is one you definitely want to be on the lookout for.

What's stashing? Stashing is easy to be defined, but can be tricky to recognize. It's when your significant other is deliberately hiding you from their inner circle, whether that's in real life or on social media. "A victim of stashing is hidden from every other part of the stasher's life — from their tagged photos to their casual chats with their parents," noted Metro.

Marriage and couples therapist Irina Firstein told PureWow that stashing typically happens when your partner is embarrassed by you or has problems with their family, they don't see a future with you, or they are seeing someone else while seeing you.

It's important to note that stashing is something that happens in serious relationships. If you're just getting to know someone and they're protecting their turf, not immediately introducing you to their friends or family might just be because they're still working on building up trust. If you're in a serious, committed relationship, though, and they seem like they're trying to keep you away from the important people in their life, then you're most likely a victim of stashing.

If you think that you're a victim of stashing, confront your partner. "Ask them why you haven't met anyone important in their life and follow up with questions if they give you the runaround," said Firstein. It's possible that your partner has issues with family or friends keeping them from introducing you, or they could have another solid explanation. An honest discussion may help you work your way to becoming a stronger couple. If, however, they refuse to be honest about what's really happening, that's a red flag.

"Red flags are easy to see because they are exactly what it seems like," Julia Bekker, the owner of a matchmaking service, told the New York Post. "If you're exclusively dating someone for a decent amount of time and find that they don't include you in important occasions or introduce you to close friends or any family members at a certain point, it's time to cut the cord and move on."