The 21 Century Breakup: The Fake Up

Having a relationship in your late teens and early twenties probably sounds like something medieval.  While there are a few rare exceptions, most Tinder relationships end in an awkward "Netflix and chill" date or a hookup. This article is about the modern breakup aka the "Fake up.”

It looks like a relationship, it feels like a relationship, and it ends with all the pain of a real breakup. The only difference is you never made it official. Introducing the new millennial relationship, the fake up.

Two summers ago I met someone and I thought “this would be an interesting way to spend my last summer before college,” little did I know it would be the most painful breakup I’ve ever had.

During the summer, we saw each other every day and talked all the time. It was like official relationships I've had before, without the “FB official” part. When I left for school it became apparent that I was emotionally invested in the relationship. We continued to talk everyday and we saw each other when I visited home.

Long story short, our "fake-up" was in the middle of my second semester of college.  It was one of the hardest breakups I’ve ever dealt with. I wondered if I should even care about the end of our relationship because we weren’t officially dating.

My opinion on fake ups is to embrace what you are feeling. For a long time, I felt like I was stupid for having feelings for him. I felt like the way I was feeling was my fault.

The truth is, it’s not your fault, and being with someone without a commitment does not make you stupid. Relationships are hard. We enter into these fake relationships because they seem easy.  But you take the chances of them hurting you in the end.