It’s cuffing season, baby. The first time I ever heard the term was in middle school, and the idea of cuffing season still feels rather childish. It marks the time of year when we all get chilly and attempt to get cozy in many ways, which includes cuddling up with other people. The concept of cuffing season must have been around long before the term was coined, but arguably it is this generation that has really made it a thing. To be completely honest, part of me does want to be cynical, but the other part finds comfort in the fact that so many people have found a designated time of the year to not be lonely. If one way we can fight the winter blues is through the warmth and love of someone else, then I say go for it! It’s vaguely reminiscent of two otters holding hands so they don’t drift apart in the water.
For a majority of people, I think the concern regarding cuffing season happens the closer we get to the warmer months (then it becomes hot girl summer, after all). When exiting cuffing season there are three possible outcomes: mutually decide to end things (the purpose has been fulfilled), to dump or be dumped, or run off into the sunset to live a happily ever after. There is much to consider when looking to get cuffed. What if someone in the relationship is looking for the long-term while the other just wants to play scrabble by a warm fireplace for a couple of months? It’s easy to say that if participants of cuffing season don’t want to run the risk then they simply should not gamble. Afterall, there are not many ways in which cuffing someone is different to dating throughout the rest of the year and we all know how risky that is already.
In my heart of hearts I am nothing if not a romantic. Technically, cuffing season is something I should very much be against, but the idea of finding a partner for only a short time with the chance that it could blossom or simply be a footnote, is incredibly romantic unto itself. It’s honestly giving Before Sunrise (1995) vibes. I think the idea of cuffing season especially lends itself to Gen Z, due to the self proclamation of short attention spans. It makes sense that relationships feel like they have become a thing that are short-lived too. It isn’t a reach to claim that people are a bit more self-aware these days, so for us to be realistic and honest about the cuffing season as a reason to fight off winter loneliness is also right up this generation’s alley.
So, is cuffing season a passing fad that our generation will no doubt get bored of as soon as something else comes along? Perhaps. Although the term has stuck around for a few years it is hard to imagine what will come next. Perhaps I can coin “long haul fall” as the next cuffing season… or maybe not.
Eva Davey is a UFV student majoring in English Literature and minoring in Media Communications. She is a fan of poetry, oat milk lattes, and the final girl trope. Currently, her worst enemy is the Good Reads app.
