No, Gatsbying isn’t the term for wanting to bang Leonardo DiCaprio, although we’re sure nobody would protest that.
Gatsbying is the newest dating trend that you can add alongside ‘breadcrumbing’ and ‘orbiting’ yada yada yada…
And while you’re probably reading this, thinking, “I don’t play mind games in relationships”, we can GUARANTEE you’re guilty of this one… or maybe I’m just so certain of it because it’s one of my go-to moves.
Although I’m completely outing myself here, I had a pretty good laugh when I heard of this.
Think: you want to get the attention of someone but you DON’T want to make the first move in messaging them or calling them. So what do you do? You post an F-ING HOT thirst trap of yourself on your Instagram Story.
Aussie model Matilda Dods from TOMBOY Beauty described it pretty well:
“To post a video, picture or selfie to public social media purely for a love interest to see it.”
And here’s the scenario she describes. You’ve posted that hot pic and…
“20 minutes later you pull your phone out again, and immediately check to see if *they’ve* seen it. You know who *they* are. It is that guy or gal whose attention you’re trying to get with the video you just posted. You also know what I’m talking about…”
So, so guilty.
So why does it have the name ‘Gatsbying’?
It’s taken from the classic novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, describing the way Gatsby throws LIT and lavish parties in order for Daisy Buchanan to attend and be impressed by.
He’s not even enjoying himself, he just wants to get her attention.
And Instagram is right up that alley. We don’t post ugly shots on Insta like we do on Snapchat. IG is the app to show our best lives/selves, even if it is highly exaggerated.
We’d be lying to ourselves if we said we didn’t post something impressive on our stories, only to check later and see if *that* person has viewed it. And we all know the satisfying feeling when their stupid little name pops up under that list.
More importantly, the accomplishment of having them slide into your DMs after you’ve posted it.
It’s a fool-proof strategy.
Matilda continues:
“Why, instead of just sending a text to the boy that I like, am I throwing the equivalent of a champagne soaked, chandelier swinging, Charleston dancing party on my Instagram story? All for… the attention of a boy who, let’s be real, probably isn’t good enough for me anyway?”
Amen.