'Beige flags' is the brutal dating trend that people need to be aware of
There seems to be a new piece of terminology every other week desperately attempting to make sense of the weird and wonderful world of dating in today's modern climate.
As if it wasn't hard enough to find the perfect match anyway, there's not only icks, getting 'zombied' and red flags to worry about but now, there's 'beige flags' too.
Singletons now have a whole new colour of the rainbow to bear in mind when it comes to flagging dating faux pas and courting blunders.
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While many of us have been warned to keep our peepers peeled for a whole array of red flags to look out for during a first date, Tinder hookup or situationship - it seems we also need to be looking at the other end of the spectrum.
In short, instead of looking out for signs of aggression, jealousy or possessiveness, those on the hunt for love need to also keep an eye on the tell-tale signs that someone is - in short - a total bore.
And that's exactly what beige flags are there for.
One woman, Caitlin MacPhail, the self-titled 'CEO of beige flags', has put it into words perfectly after coining the term to describe someone incompatible with you because, essentially, they’re the mayor of yawn-town.
And, the best way to spot them? Check a dating profile.
Taking to TikTok, Caitlin explains: "There's a lot of dating app red flags doing the rounds again at the moment, but I wanted to address something that I think is a little bit more prevalent that I have coined beige flags - signs, you're probably very boring."
If you like yourself some cheesy sitcoms, puppies or small-talk debates - you might want to sit down.
Caitlin then started mapping out certain examples of what constitutes a beige flag.
"First up is having an opinion on coriander, whether pineapple belongs on pizza, or [if] sauce or chocolate belongs in the fridge or cupboard," she began.
"It's not important. No one cares."
She went on: "Second is any reference to extremely mainstream sitcoms [...] I'm just going to assume you have no deeper meaning."
So, if your dating profile says you're looking for 'the Pam to your Jim' - you may want to give it a little sprucing up.
The third, according to Caitlin, is: "Using puppies to hide your lack of personality.
"Look, I really want the dog I don't even want you in that case. So just jog on."
And don't even think about 'mentioning Excel or spreadsheets' in your dating profile - that goes for the person in particular who claims they're a 'freak in the sheets' for some cringe-worthy puniness.
Lastly, Caitlin advises that people should avoid saying they're 'looking for someone who can handle [their] banter'.
To be fair, it's a pretty generic line we've probably all read a billion times now.
The video has since clocked up over half a million views on the platform and social media users couldn't wait to weigh in on the phenomenon.
One TikTok user commented: "People don’t talk about beige flags enough."
A second revealed: "Oh my god I felt this so deeply."
"This is a true work of art," praised a third, "never have I seen a list so accurate and so perfectly beige."
With all that said, just remember one singleton's beige is another hopeless romantic's green so, in short, you do you.
Topics: Sex and Relationships, Social Media, TikTok, Dating trends
Rhiannon Ingle