Golden Retriever boyfriend

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Golden Retriever +‎ boyfriend, due to a person with this personality trait ostensibly resembling the personality of a Golden Retriever. Arose on social video-sharing service TikTok in 2021, and popularised in late 2023,[1] but attested earlier (see quotations).

Noun[edit]

Golden Retriever boyfriend (plural Golden Retriever boyfriends)

  1. (Internet slang) A man who is extroverted and excitable, kind, openly affectionate, confident, happy about life, and immensely caring toward his partner, but possibly naïve or unintelligent.[2]
    • 2011 March 10, Giusi, “I guess I just can't post here”, in rec.food.cooking‎[3], Google Groups:
      My fairweather friends start coming back soon, my golden retriever boyfriend will be here, and I am already getting enquiries about lessons.
    • 2015 September 1, Lady_Cardboard, Twitter‎[4]:
      Also they didn't characterize Cullen like the other fics that make him out to be the perfect golden retriever boyfriend everyone writes.
    • 2021 December 14, Lydia Venn, “So what is a golden retriever boyfriend? And how do I know if I’m dating one?”, in The Tab‎[5]:
      A big stereotype on TikTok right now is bi women suggesting they are particularly attracted to golden retriever men. They often create TikToks joking they hate the stereotype and then share their golden retriever boyfriend.
    • 2024 February 12, Alaina Demopoulos, “Romcom ending: Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s big night at the Super Bowl”, in The Guardian‎[6], →ISSN:
      Kelce’s visible frustration during the moment might have been incongruous to his desired reputation as a golden retriever boyfriend.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kayla Kibbe (2023 December 5) “Fine, I Admit It—I, Too, Would Like a Golden Retriever Boyfriend”, in Cosmopolitan‎[1], retrieved 3 February 2024
  2. ^ Kate Lindsay (2023 December 12) “Are You a Golden Retriever Boyfriend—or a Rottweiler?”, in GQ‎[2]: “TikTok defines a ”Golden Retriever boyfriend" as a one who is trusting and kind, unashamed of his feelings, and, while a little naive, full of optimism and positivity that has nowhere to go but out and into the hearts of everyone who surrounds him.”
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