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What’s This Dating Trend Called “Hardballing,” and Is It New?

CatHERine
2 min readJan 4, 2022

The trending term “hardballing” isn’t as bad it sounds.

Photo by Tandem X Visuals on Unsplash

Indy 100 and New York Post claim this trend was popularized by Gen Z, who are 24 years old and younger, but is it new?

“Hardballing” is when a single person is being clear and up front with their relationship expectations.

That way both parties don’t waste their time getting into a relationship if their relationship expectations don’t align.

I have a hard time believing that many people in their teens or early 20's would know for sure what they want early on and be “hardballing.”

Sure, they may know what they want for the time being, but what happens if this changes down the line?

I’m not saying it’s not okay to voice what they want at that time when they are younger, or by mid-20's, late 20's, or even early 30's, they will have their lives figured out and know for sure what they want.

When I was 24 years old or younger, I know at that time I didn’t know what I wanted. I was still learning, trying to find myself, and working towards a career.

I don’t believe “hardballing” is new.

I can see it being common with those who are older, because typically by then, they have had their lives figured out, know what they want, and be up front about it.

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CatHERine
CatHERine

Written by CatHERine

FT Healthcare Professional, PT Content Creator | Support Me and Writers You Read: https://medium.com/@catherine-academia/membership

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