Is ‘Shrekking’ the New Dating Trend Everyone’s Talking About?

What Does Shrekking Mean?

Gen Z’s latest dating term ‘Shrekking’ is a reference to the popular ‘Shrek’ franchise (yes the one with that green ogre). The viral term is used when you date someone who is below your standards, which is both subjective and personal.

In this scenario, you date down – based on the assumption that you are out of their league. This automatically puts you in the position where you have an upper hand and, most importantly, the control of how the relationship progresses forward. The major advantage that ‘shrekking’ gives you is the unlikelihood of getting hurt.

Is Shrekking And Getting Shrekked Different?

Both terms, ‘shrekking’ and ‘getting Shrekked’ involve the same relationship dynamic of dating someone who isn’t on the same plane as you, by your own definitions, but they each have different meanings. While shrekking refers to dating down people, getting shrekked refers to doing the same but still ending up heartbroken.

Here’s the problem though: can love or partnership really be found if you’re playing mind games? Is it even a healthy approach to dating? And can heartbreak be avoided, even if you “date down”?

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Why Is Shrekking Getting Hate?

Dating in 2025 can be complex and toxic, and such trends fuel it further. Nowadays, everyone has trust issues, emotional baggage, or trauma from past relationships.

Indulging in dating trends like shrekking is a step towards making people more insecure and adding further complications to the mix. Dating should be an uplifting experience, which makes you grow as a person. With people leaning into dating trends like shrekking or even getting shrekked, they are forgetting about the very essence of relationships. Your relationship should extend beyond your partner’s appearance or financial capacity, or whatever it is that you’re using as a metric to determine if they’re within or beneath or out of your league. Ditch dating trends that may make your partner feel inferior and hit their self-esteem.

While you might love the ‘Shrek’ movies, we would suggest that you think twice before ‘shrekking’.

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Image Credits: Freepik

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