In our ever-changing millennial era of text-ationships we’ve dealt with some bizarre dating trends. We’ve seen ghosting, catfishing, creeping, gaslighting (the list goes on)… As we know, its been the norm to ghost your latest flirt instead of confronting the situation explaining your feelings. (Confrontation? Don’t know her.) BUT, just because this is the social norm, it does not make it any less disrespectful. And the same goes for the rising trend of zombieing.
Gone are the days of being ghosted and never hearing back from the fuckboy/girl who left you on read. The latest in millennial dating is the act of zombieing – which is the term for someone who has ghosted you, trying to slide back in…
Have You Been Zombied Before?
The term is pretty loose, but in most situations it’s easy to tell if someone is zombieing you. If you’ve been texting someone back and forth for a while and you think things are going well… Then they completely fall off grid and stop replying to you – sorry, but you’ve been ghosted. Fast forward a few days, weeks, months, centuries… If they slide back into your DM’s and apologise for going off grid (they will probably have a very reasonable excuse e.g. they were mourning the death of their goldfish), and they suggest catching up, watch out – you are being zombied!
Should You Let The Zombie Back In?
Knowing whether or not to give the zombie another shot is a tricky one. Before you make a decision you have to assess a few key factors:
- Did the zombie apologise for their actions? If they weren’t genuinely sorry and you didn’t feel like they had a valid reason for going MIA, they probably don’t deserve a second chance.
- Is there anything else that seems a bit sus about the zombie? If there are other red flags or things that seem a bit off about the zombie, e.g. they can’t stop talking about their ex (or their wife and kids at home), then they probably aren’t worth the risk.
- How hurt were you by the ghosting? If you were really torn up and feeling like crap about yourself after this person ghosted you, then you probably aren’t emotionally ready to deal with a flaky person like the zombie. If you weren’t all too bothered by the situation, maybe grabbing a drink with the zombie won’t hurt. (Unless you grab a bottle of tequila – that may hurt the next morning…)
- Are you in a good place? Are you feeling like you’re strong enough to deal with the chance of being hurt? You should never gamble with your mental health.
If you have assessed the criteria and still feel like you should give the zombie another shot, go for your life. But, proceed with caution!
Image Sources: GIPHY, Summit Entertainment
