Is This Viral TikTok Trend The Key To Taking Dating Less Seriously?

Nothing’s worse than hearing someone say they want to “keep things casual” even though you’ve been seeing each other for months. It’s only rivaled by a partner’s one-word response to a lengthy, well-thought-out text or a potential date sending a last-minute excuse to cancel plans on a Saturday night.

On TikTok, the girlies are so over all of it, which is why the hashtag #WomenInMaleFields is going viral. The joke is that many women are deciding to return the same energy they’ve been getting for years in the dating world. Think about the classics, like men who refuse to commit, partners who never text back, guys who get defensive about who they’re following on Instagram — you get the idea.

The trend doesn’t claim women are perfect in relationships, but it does call out the massive, shared experience many women have in the heterosexual dating scene — and how overwhelmingly negative it can be. The trend takes these tropes and expertly compares them to the fact women have historically been excluded from many fields of work, and the results are deserving of a chronically online chef’s kiss. Here’s what to know.

The “Women In Male Fields” Trend

In response to the trend, TikTok creators have been coming up with the funniest examples of “women in male fields,” like @sam.de.notre.dame who joked she’ll just say, “I’m sorry you feel that way” or “I don’t know what you want me to say” the next time a partner is upset — presumably echoing the behavior of dismissive exes from her past.

There’s also @kylee.e19, who called out how common it is to not hear from a date on the day you have plans. In her video, she flipped the script to show what it would look like if she did the same thing: “Just told him we’re hanging out tomorrow, but when tomorrow comes I’m gonna ignore him all day and come up with a random excuse.”

In her comments, many people pointed out how often their would-be dates act the same way and how common it is for their Hinge matches seem to ghost or sleep through plans they made. “Happened to me Saturday,” one girl wrote. “He goes, ‘Sorry, I just woke up. I totally forgot. I feel so bad.’ Mmmkay, blocked.” Another said, “It’s so refreshing to know this is a universal issue,” while another was simply tickled by the hilarity of it all. “I literally love this trend so much,” they said.

The longer you scroll through this hashtag, the funnier it gets. There’s @iiamrokhayaa who showed how ridiculous it would be if she started to play basketball while her boyfriend tried to talk to her about something important, @bbyliita who called out the men who say things like, “can’t we have just one good day?” when their partner is upset, and @jazaenicole who noted how common it is for partners to act sweet without wanting to make things official. In response, one person wrote, “Women in STEM!”

To be clear, these women haven’t necessarily done or said these things IRL, but they are highlighting what it would look like if “women were in male fields.”

Is It The Key To Dating?

This trend is bringing women together through their shared experiences and the annoying things their partners have done in the past. It’s also united many creators and viewers as they talk about the tired comments they so often hear regarding their interests, career goals, and more.

When you add it all up, it looks like the #WomenInMaleFields trend may be the key to dating without totally losing your mind. Instead of getting upset about a date’s lack of effort, care, or commitment, you could adopt the same carefree, lackadaisical energy — or at the very least acknowledge that canceled dates and rude remarks aren’t something you ever want to put up with again.

While you might not have it in you to cancel last minute, string someone along, or sleep straight through a dinner date, these TikToks feel oddly empowering, and they also might remind you that it just isn’t that serious.