Photo: Dean Drobot / 123RF
Doesn't matter how much syrup you use — a bad pancake is a bad pancake.
By Emily Blackwood — Written on Apr 30, 2020
Getting back into dating is probably one of the scariest things you can do as a human. Right up there next to skydiving and open heart surgery, entertaining new romantic prospects gives you the doubts and sweats like no other.
But because there's a little part inside all of us that believes in romance and fairy tales, we do it.
We suck in our gut that we probably gained from all that post-breakup eating, put on some lipstick and get back out there!
And then, much to our surprise, we meet someone.
It happens so fast that you almost don't have time to question its legitimacy and because we're prone to think that true love means falling at the speed of light.
But slow down girl. He's probably not your true love. He's just your bad pancake.
What is the bad pancake theory?
A bad pancake, according to the trusted source Urban Dictionary, is in its essence the first guy you have sex with or date after the end of a serious relationship.
And much like the first pancake you try to make during breakfast, it gets burnt.
Though you might think this pancake, I mean boy, is the next love of your life, chances are he's probably not. A bad pancake is just a guy (or girl) you have to go through to get to the next pancake that will really stick.
It doesn't matter how many times you flip the pancake or how much you try to dress it up with blueberries, whipped cream or perfectly timed Instagram photos. A bad pancake is a bad pancake. You can't fix it.
Just listen to the cast of the TV show "Younger" explain the Bad Pancake Theory in the following video:
And it doesn't really matter who the person is that you see next. Even if it's someone you have great chemistry with and could actually date, a bad pancake will always fizzle out.
Why? Because we're too freakin' excited to eat this pancake.
After getting out of a relationship and believing that love is basically dead, we're overjoyed at the mere thought of another chance. So we jump in too fast, fall too hard and get too caught up in something that has barely even developed into a fling.
So before you jump into the arms of the next guy you see, make sure it's not one you'd actually want to date. I know it seems a little effed up to use a cutesy term like "bad pancake" to justify willfully using another person, but hey, this is the world we live in.
And don't sweat it. You're just one bad pancake away from a perfect batch.
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Emily Blackwood is an editor at YourTango who covers pop culture, true crime, dating, relationships and everything in between. Every Wednesday at 10:20 p.m. you can ask her any and all questions about self-love, dating, and relationships LIVE on YourTango’s Facebook page. You can follow her on Instagram (@blackw00d) and Twitter (@emztweetz).