‘Date Cancelled’ is the latest dating meme ruined by brands

From dating apps spreading the paradox of choice onto young daters to social media stunting the social skills of generations to come, modern relationships are comically complicated.

And now, daters trying to navigate what seems like a minefield of one bad experience after another are turning to social media to share their past experiences and dating deal-breakers with the new “date cancelled” trend.

The meme is simple: Users follow a template-like structure, posting “date cancelled” followed by their personal icks and irks collected from past relationships.

While the format has expanded to various social media platforms, most of the users engaging with the trend remain on Threads, taking advantage of the Meta platform’s “invisible ink” feature.

Some were more innocent and comical than others, like one user who shared on Threads: “Date cancelled. She couldn’t miss Grey’s Anatomy. (This happened to me with two different women.)”

Another added: “Date cancelled. I said May the fourth be with you. He said he wasn’t Catholic.”

Others took the meme to jokingly share their highly specific interests.

One user seems to value grammar, saying: “Date cancelled. He doesn’t use the Oxford comma.”

While others went even more niche. “Date cancelled. He didn’t know the difference between a wyvern and a dragon,” a user said, referencing the best-selling fantasy romance novel Fourth Wing.

Others took the trend more seriously, sharing actual red flags they’ve allegedly experienced while in the dating world.

One user on Threads said: “Date cancelled. He refers to women as ‘females.’” Another added: “Date cancelled. He thinks therapy is a waste of money.”

Brands enter the chat

As the trend continues to grow, it’s not just average users participating. As it usually goes with organic trends, brands are trying to jump in for a chance at momentary cultural relevance.

The social media accounts of Chipotle Mexican Grill, PBS, Audi, Pizza Hut, Ben & Jerry’s, Walmart, and other organizations have posted their own versions of the trend—although users aren’t necessarily excited.

Chipotle, for instance said: “Date cancelled. They use a metal fork.”
A user quickly responded with: “Date cancelled. The corporations got ahold of the trend and ruined it.”

And for more controversial companies, their participation opened up the doors for online criticism.

Take Starbucks, which posted: “Date cancelled. Doesn’t even like pumpkin spice latte.”

Several users replied, voicing their opposition to the company. “Date cancelled. Provides poor working conditions for employees,” someone responded.

Another added: “Nope. Date cancelled because you’re moving HQ to Nashville—a state that stripped women of reproductive rights. No amount of pumpkin spice covers that up.”

Despite the popularity of the trend, it seems to be dying down as quickly as it rose to virality—not only due to brand participation but also the overuse of the format altogether.

One user echoed the sentiment, saying: “Date cancelled. They overused the ‘date cancelled’ trend.”