Name: Practice dates.
Age: The term date – to mean romantic dating – was inadvertently coined by American columnist George Ade in 1896, when he described a “date book” used by a shop cashier to record all her meetings with suitors. Practice dating is a 2026 concept.
Appearance: Practice dates take place wherever dates happen these days. The pub, a cafe, a walk in the park (the easiest option, apparently). But they’re being talked about on social media.
And how does it go, this practice dating? Well, you know how dating is complicated, with all the apps, the high expectations, dating burnout, fatigue and the disappointment that it leads to …
Not to mention loneliness. Exactly. The great thing about practice dating is that it really doesn’t matter.
Because you’re not necessarily going on these dates thinking they’re going to be the one? Right. It’s more about thinking they’re going to be, well, anyone. “You should be going on dates even with guys you’re not super attracted to,” said Serena Kerrigan in a viral video.
And Kerrigan is? A dating influencer, based in New York, and the author of a forthcoming book, Let’s Fucking Date.
OK, and what exactly is the purpose of going on dates with people you’re not really into? Is it practice makes perfect? That’s certainly part of it. Kerrigan says that, on a practice date, you’re going to show up very confident, with “baddie energy … you’re going to be so authentically 100% yourself”.
Because you’re not that fussed about what they think of you? Exactly. Kerrigan says that, after the practice date, you will “copy and paste that exact energy to a date with a guy that you might actually be really attracted to”.
Got it – copy and paste on the baddie energy. Christina Psaras, a 26-year-old from Chicago, agrees. She told the New York Post that practice dates help her to be herself and let go of unrealistic expectations: “It lowers the bar and you’re less likely to project fantasies on to the person.”
OK, but I can’t help feeling for the poor guy – or woman – being practised on. I don’t think I’d feel that great about being a dating guinea pig. Back to Kerrigan: she says it’s fine and that you might end up liking them after all.
The practice one might be the one? Why not? “Until you meet someone in real life, you have no idea whether you’re attracted to them,” says Kerrigan.
It’s almost as if a dating-app profile may not tell the whole story. Who knew?
Do say: “It’s got to be better than doomscrolling alone at home.”
Don’t say: “Swipe left, swipe left, swipe left …”