Kittenfishing
- “slightly lying on a dating profile”
- “their photos looked nothing like they do in person”
- “the word for exaggerating yourself on a dating app”
- “when someone's profile is a flattering version of the truth”
:: COMPARE ::
KittenfishingvsWokefishing
The short answer
Kittenfishing flatters the surface — old photos, an added inch, a better job title. Wokefishing falsifies values, performing beliefs you do not hold in order to attract someone. One embellishes the packaging; the other fakes the conscience.
Side by side
| Aspect | Kittenfishing | Wokefishing |
|---|---|---|
| What's faked | Looks and stats | Beliefs and values |
| Depth | Surface details | Core identity |
| Found out | On the first date | Once you're invested |
| Read as | Mild vanity | A serious breach |
| Revealed | On the first date | Once you're attached |
| Seen as | Mild embellishment | Serious breach |
Which one you meant
Readers who land here meaning Kittenfishing rather than Wokefishing are usually searching for phrases like “slightly lying on a dating profile”, “their photos looked nothing like they do in person”, “the word for exaggerating yourself on a dating app”.
Wokefishing
- “pretending to share my values just to date me”
- “they acted progressive until we were together, then changed”
- “the word for faking your politics to attract someone”
- “when someone hides their real beliefs while dating”
Which came first
Kittenfishing. 2017 — The dating app Hinge coins the term in a June 21 article for the milder-than-catfishing deception.
- 2017KittenfishingThe dating app Hinge coins the term in a June 21 article for the milder-than-catfishing deception.
- 2020WokefishingCoined by journalist Serena Smith at Vice, amid a period of heightened social-justice activism.
Read either one in full