The rise of the Power PDA—the dating trend over 68% of people say they're open to

We’ve seen many new dating trends crop up recently, from haunting to the latest trend of ‘fast-forwarding’—which is set to be huge next year. But brace yourselves, if you’re someone who hates public displays of affection, dating in 2022 may be your worst nightmare because the latest trend on the rise is 'Power PDA.'

The pandemic has had a big impact on the way we date, and this latest trend may have emerged as a result of nearly two years of minimal contact. For many, dating became virtual, meaning no hugging, no kissing, and definitely no hookups. (That's our story and we're sticking to it!)

You could say many singletons have been feeling a bit deprived of physical contact, which has now sparked the rise in the Power PDA.

So, what is Power PDA'ing you ask? Put simply, it’s a lot of kissing and such in public places that make most onlookers feel uncomfortable. According to the dating app Bumble (opens in new tab), more than 68% of their users say they’re “more open to public displays of affection post-pandemic.”

And it’s not just the pandemic that has influenced this shift, it’s also got a lot to do with celebs. Bumble explains that this year we’ve seen a big rise in celebrities just letting loose with their partner in public, rather than the ‘private front’ we’re used to seeing.

Spotting celebrities that can't-keep-their-hands-off-each-other in the wild has been one of our fave pastimes this year—it's all about the daily DeuxMoi updates, right? And, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker, for example, have been everywhere recently, seemingly in an eternal lip lock.

And it wasn't just them either, Megan Fox and MGK—our other fave coupling of 2021—are another example of major celebrity PDA. Remember THAT Billboard Music Awards moment?

 It makes sense that seeing PDA in the media may influence us and make us feel cool about doing it ourselves, in a similar way that when you see all your favorite A-listers wearing a new item of clothing, you usually follow suit. 

This news may be good for the affectionate among us, and very bad for others, and while this dating trend may mean we see a rise in couples smooching on the streets, remember if it’s not for you, it’s not for you. 

‘Trend’ or not you never have to PDA if you don’t want to—and to be honest, most of us would still appreciate it if you didn’t...