- ‘Stashing’ describes how someone won’t let you meet people close to them
- This is despite person you’re dating meeting your friends and family
- Alarm bells should ring, as they might not consider you as long-term partner
Dating has become a social minefield, with terms like ‘ghosting’ and ‘breadcrumbing’ to get your head around.
And now, there appears to be a new harmful dating trend on the block – the act of ‘stashing’.
It is a term used to describe how someone you’re dating won’t invite you to meet their friends or family – despite the fact that they’ve met the people in your life.
Alarm bells should ring if you’re the victim of ‘stashing’, as it probably means they don’t consider you to be a potential long-term partner.
Stashing is a term used to describe how someone you’re dating won’t invite you to meet their friends or family – despite the fact that they’ve met the people in your life (file photo)
Dating expert Jo Hemmings told FEMAIL: ‘It’s the point when you’ve embraced someone into your life, but they haven’t welcome you into the fold.
‘Most likely it’s because you’re being played a bit. They could be someone who doesn’t think of you as a long-term prospect, or they don’t think you’re special enough to have brought you into their circle of friends.’
However, she says that there could be some legitimate reasons why they haven’t introduced you to their friends and family yet, in the early stages of a relationship.
‘It could be just that they’re comfortable with your friends, and haven’t been bothered to introduce you to theirs yet’, Jo explained. ‘Or they’re worried that you won’t like their friends’.
Alarm bells should ring if they won’t introduce you to their friends, as it probably means they don’t consider you to be a potential long-term partner (file photo)
But she says that you should definitely question them on why they’ve not introduced you yet, if they’ve already met your friends.
‘They might say something like “my friends are crazy, you won’t like them”, but you can always ask to meet one or two of their friends, or their friends who are in relationships,’ she said.
If they still won’t agree to let you meet them after discussing it, then alarm bells should be ringing.
Jo said: ‘There are ways to head it off at the pass, but the question will resurface again as you move into the next phase of your relationship.
‘You’d start to question what kind of person they are and why they’re not introducing you to their friends. You’d get an instinct that something isn’t right.’