{"id":665820,"date":"2026-06-30T09:51:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T09:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/665820\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T09:51:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T09:51:13","slug":"golden-retriever-boyfriend-the-red-flags-that-go-alongside-the-sought-after-stereotype","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/665820\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden retriever boyfriend: The red flags that go alongside the sought-after stereotype"},"content":{"rendered":"

The longing for a tall, dark and handsome other half has been replaced with golden, smitten and waggy. All over social media<\/a>, Gen Z are now lusting after so-called \u201cgolden retriever<\/a>\u201d boyfriends: a romantic, sensitive, kind and loyal genre of man, who always has enough energy to make up for everyone in the room. <\/p>\n

Celebrity editions<\/a> of this archetypal man of the moment include Zendaya\u2019s husband and Spider-Man star Tom Holland<\/a>, who\u2019s been seen beaming on the red carpet as soon as he spots his wife arrive, and Dua Lipa\u2019s new husband Callum Turner<\/a>, who was spotted dancing with the \u201cLevitating\u201d hitmaker under the Eiffel Tower. See also Mr Taylor Swift<\/a> (Travis Kelce), whose limitless puppy dog affection for the singer has somehow won over one of the most intense fandoms on the globe. And Swift herself, as the pair are due to be married this week.<\/p>\n

Honourable mentions also go to actor Pedro Pascal, \u201cI\u2019m Just Ken\u201d singer and La La Land actor Ryan Gosling<\/a>, and (somewhat surprisingly) Prince Harry, who has been given the friendly, outgoing and, well, highly-trainable label, while Meghan has been dubbed the opposite by the TikTok anthropologists \u2013 a black cat; mysterious, independent and slightly aloof. <\/p>\n

While the trend of attaching an animal equivalent to celebrities and those around you is, on one level, silly and playful, the way Gen Z are choosing to categorise themselves and their prospective partners does speak volumes about the current dating landscape. <\/p>\n

The aforementioned golden retriever attributes offer a notable antithesis to the type of persona seen across social media from manosphere creators, who seem to think showing signs of affection or pride in the partner is a sign of a \u201csimp\u201d or beta male. It is, of course, this narrative that makes golden retriever men so desirable and remarkable. Among female friends, these characteristics are the norm, but among men, basically, the bar is so low that mere kindness is now congratulated.<\/p>\n

\"ZendayaZendaya and Tom Holland are another aspirational couple the internet has dubbed a golden retriever and black cat (Getty)<\/p>\n

Simultaneously, there is a danger that accompanies having a so-called golden retriever partner, depending on what that actually looks like when it plays out offline. If your partner is very happy-go-lucky, you might feel like you\u2019re doing all of the emotional heavy lifting. When someone is very content to go with the flow, they may not make plans or express their own opinions. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat makes it tricker if you\u2019re more of an \u2018independent dater\u2019 type, preferring to have a bit more space to yourself, and not having a partner that\u2019s overly attached to you,\u201d says Dr Lalitaa Suglani, relationship expert at eharmony. \u201cWe found that many singles over 40 are actively prioritising independence (40-47, 47 per cent \/ 50-59, 46 per cent) alongside connection, which reflects more of a desire for both support and flexible bandwidth for their own personal growth,\u201d she adds of the platform\u2019s research. <\/p>\n

\u201cA partner who challenges you in a healthy, respectful way can help you grow as a person, which is especially important later in life, when people bring more lived experience into new relationships. Being with someone who encourages growth or reflection and brings new perspectives (which, for those re-entering the dating scene later in life, can be a challenge in itself) helps you avoid falling into old habits, particularly after a previous long-term relationship or marriage,\u201d Suglani explains. <\/p>\n

A partner who challenges you in a healthy, respectful way can help you grow as a person, which is especially important later in life, when people bring more lived experience into new relationships<\/p>\n

Dr Lalitaa Suglani, relationship expert at eharmony<\/p>\n

On social media, the tide is already turning with some users expressing discontent over immaturity and neediness. One video<\/a> on TikTok, with close to 160,000 likes at the time of writing, has coupled golden retriever attributes with a degree of weaponised incompetence. \u201cGolden retriever men paint themselves as fragile so they always get the benefit of the doubt,\u201d one woman claimed. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, relationship coach Greta Bereisaite added that red flags of these kinds of partners<\/a> include: people-pleasing, co-dependency, and disregard for personal boundaries. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis can get overwhelming over time, while in the beginning it seems loving and cute,\u201d Bereisaite notes in her own video<\/a>. \u201cUnless you love someone being glued to you, the man is not for you.\u201d <\/p>\n

Some women added that, actually, they prefer Doberman boyfriends, someone intelligent, energetic and fiercely loyal, instead. But, regardless of the breed everyone\u2019s projecting onto, what\u2019s clear is that sincerity, warmth and kindness are still lusted-after qualities \u2013 regardless of what the manosphere might try to claim instead. <\/p>\n

\"TravisTravis Kelce has won over the Swifties with his open adoration of Taylor, with the pair soon to be married (Getty)<\/p>\n

Holland caught attention when he refused to steal Zendaya<\/a>\u2019s thunder by walking the red carpet alongside her: \u201cIt\u2019s not my moment; it\u2019s her moment. If we go together, it\u2019s about us,\u201d he affirmed. Turner turned heads when he revealed he was willing to fly across the world just to spend a couple of days with Lipa: \u201cIt\u2019s never not worth it,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Gosling became the internet\u2019s favourite boyfriend when at the Golden Globes he said of Eva Mendes: \u201cWhile I was singing and dancing, playing piano and having one of the best experiences I\u2019ve ever had on a film, my lady was raising our daughter, pregnant with our second and trying to help her brother fight his battle with cancer\u2026 Sweetheart, thank you.\u201d <\/p>\n

A landmark survey of over 64,000 women across 180 countries, conducted by the University of G\u00f6ttingen and the female health app Clue in 2019, found that almost 90 per cent of women rated one quality as their top priority when selecting a long-term partner: kindness. <\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter if the internet is anthropomorphising dogs, cats or birds \u2013 that desire is happily cross-species. <\/p>\n