DATING
What To Know About The Fleabagging Dating Trend
By AMANDA CHATEL
Born out of the series "Fleabag," fleabagging is the dating trend where someone only dates people who are bad for them. And it is far more common than you may think.
According to a survey by the dating app Plenty of Fish, 63% of women and 38% of men admit that they've fleabagged at some point in their dating career.
A 2022 study by PsychTests found that when it comes to dating, there are two types of people: those drawn to people with issues (Saviors) and those that steer clear (Averters.)
Saviors are drawn to problematic people because of difficulty achieving intimacy, people-pleasing tendencies, fear of being alone or being needed boosts their self-worth.
If you want to stop your fleabag behavior, the first step is acknowledging a pattern by looking closely at the partners your friends and family disliked most, noting commonalities.
Once you can pinpoint the pattern, look inside yourself and unpack why you find these people desirable. Break the cycle by eliminating toxic people from your life.
Problematic people deserve love, but you can't fix broken people; they need to want to do that for themselves.