The tortuous new dating trend 'getting zombied', explained
Maybe you've heard of being "ghosted" or have been ghosted in the past – left or ignored without notice or explanation.
Now imagine being ghosted, except this time they come back, months or even years later.
A report released by Burner, a phone number app, explains: "Zombieing is when someone rises from the digital dead. There are two types of zombies: those who were actual exes and those who were casual dates. Zombie exes are the old partners you bury deep into the proverbial ground."
Mariel Darling talked to Good Day NY about how she got over 1.5 million views on her Tiktok post about being "zombied."
Darling said she was so overwhelmed by the support that she decided to write a song about it.
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The zombie apocalypse
Dating in NYC has always been known to be difficult, and Darling said with the rise of social media, "dating has completely changed."
When asked about her own dating life, Darling said she had been "zombied" several times. She said her most recent experience was when a guy that she had been dating in NYC moved away suddenly, and then came back asking for a second chance.
Darling described the dating scene in NYC as a "Michael Jackson Thriller music video," with all the men tap dancing around commitment.
"I feel like the streets of New York are a zombie apocalypse," Darling said about dating in the city.
Darling isn't the only one that feels this way though – with thousands of people commenting that they too had experienced the same thing.
One comment that got over 3,000 likes read: "Have you ever noticed that they all zombie you at the same time? Like why are four guys from my past all hitting me up on the same day???"
Why are daters "zombying"?
Is it that they genuinely miss the person they were dating?
Or is it that they want to check in and see how the person is doing?
One comment said, "It’s because the girl he thought was better than you realized he’s terrible and ghosted him!"
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So if the ones that were once ghosted, aren't ghosting, they're "zombying," that means maybe there is in fact a zombie apocalypse in the world of dating.
What to do if you get "zombied"
Experts say it all depends on the situation.
Most times it is best to leave it where it is. Do everything you can to make sure the ghost doesn't come back as a zombie.
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Darling said that the overwhelming response on Tiktok inspired her to write a song about her experience.
"I was so excited that I wasn't the only one going through this. I had to use comedy as a coping mechanism," she explained.
"I took a page out of Taylor Swift's book, and I'm writing about my dating experiences," Darling said.
Darling's song is titled "Never Needed You," and it releases on Friday, May 5.
Darling's advice to singles: "You need to know your worth. You need to be confident in yourself and what you deserve."
As far as her dating life goes, Darling said there's a graveyard, but some are alive.