Gen-Z Chill With Summer Shading

As the summer heat soars, Gen-Zers are a busy lot — exchanging notes on bikini bods, beach tans, summer shading and ‘situationships’. The buzz is on mental peace and summer shading so many millennials and Gen-Z are giving a break to their relationships, casual flings, and ‘situationships’. They are focusing on personal growth and spending “me-time” with their family and best pals. Summer shading, a trend influenced by the West, is gaining traction in India. It involves temporarily or permanently sidelining one’s romantic partner to prioritise and spend time with friends, and family, and go summer shopping. While some relationships emerge from the summer haze hiatus stronger than ever, others quietly fade away, much like the fleeting warmth of the season itself.

Some Hot Stuff

Summer shading, a dating trend of 2023 is coming back with a vengeance in 2024. Youngsters are ditching their romantic interests and plunging into temporary hookups and doing retail therapy for themselves. The idea is that during summer, emphasis is on spending time with friends, travelling, and enjoying good weather. However, with the arrival of the rainy seasons and winter, people tend to rekindle their relationships to snuggle up once again in the cold weather. Deepika Shah, a relationship coach, and consultant weighs in on the trend and its resurgence in India. “Due to awareness on mental health and toxic relationships, acceptance towards non-conventional forms of dating and empowerment through financial independence, the trend is gaining traction in India.” Deepika provides a holistic neutral view on the trend focusing on its negatives and positives, “The trend can be negative towards the receiving partner as they must deal with the heartbreak and miscommunication. However, in the case of toxic relationships, the trend can be an eye opener to reflect on one’s boundaries,” adds Deepika

The Raging Debate

While the dating trend is celebrated for encouraging personal growth, empowerment, and break from relationships, the partner left behind often feels dejected temporarily or permanently. The debate is raging on the internet, some call it uncool, while others highlight the positive side of summer shading which helps in getting rid of toxic partners and one-sided feelings. Khushi Motwani, a (23), a PR professional and Gen-Z took a permanent break from her casual relationship. “I felt it was time to bid farewell to a guy I casually dated for a few months to focus on my mental health and career. He did not harbour romantic feelings for me,” she says. Khushi feels summer shading helped her put an end to the casual flings.

Lubna Ansari, a Cognitive Behaviour therapist (CBT) who also specialises in relationship therapy says, “A relationship is always a give and take between two partners. A graceful approach and proper communication with the right kind of explanation is always beneficial.” Lubna believes that the younger generations’ penchant towards following a trend on social media coupled with the increased proliferation of mental health awareness and stressful job life has contributed to the growth of the summer shading trend. “The identity of an individual does not lie with one person. If a relationship (casual or serious) has a strong foundation, the trend is a good way to focus on one's individual growth and hobbies. It is a good talking point with the partner once the season ends.” says Lubna.

Self-Love vs Partnership

Partners left behind may experience feelings of neglect or abandonment and though some ‘situationships’ may rekindle during winters (aka cuffing season in Gen-Z lingo), the uncertainty and emotional toll can be significant. Nasreen Khan Chanana, Relationship mentor and therapist from Nourish to Cherish says that it is important for individuals in a situationship or relationship to communicate openly with their partners. “Establishing clear boundaries and expectations can help both partners to understand each other while maintaining a healthy connection,” Nasreen says. While ‘summer shading’ offers freedom and spontaneity, it also necessitates careful consideration of its impact on both parties involved.

Haute Trend

• Summer shading means putting the person you’re seeing in the shade temporarily or permanently during the summers

• 67% of users have either shaded someone in the past or been shaded themselves [Wingman dating app survey]

• Gen-Z pop icon Billie Eilish summer shaded her ex-Jesse Rutherford to focus on her career

• Justin Beiber ended his casual relationship with Sofia Richie to ‘cool off’ and continue having flings

• Rumoured couple Ananya Pandey and Ishaan Khattar are allegedly summer shading too

The trend is gaining traction due to awareness on mental health, acceptance towards non-conventional forms of relationships and empowerment through financial independence.” — Deepika Shah, Relationship coach and consultant

It is important for individuals in a ‘situationship’ to communicate openly with their partners about their needs for a break and freedom.” — Nasreen Khan Chanana, Relationship mentor and therapist, Nourish to Cherish