Feeling a little cold with fall coming in? Need something (or someone) to keep you warm? Well, you’re not alone. This isn’t just something that you’re feeling. So many singles experience this; there’s even a name for this—cuffing season.
But what is cuffing season, you ask? Good thing you’re here because we’re going to dive in and explain the ins and outs of what cuffing season really is all about.
Cuffing Season: What is it?
It’s officially October which means cuffing season has arrived. Singles worldwide are stuffing their bathing suits back into their drawers and getting ready for a season of layers. Doesn’t really scream “sexy,” right?
With the fall season upon us, we drift into the urge to feel cozy and warm. And what comes with the feeling of coziness? Hand holding and cuddling! Summer was a time to flaunt what you got and explore your sexual energy with other singles. But now, the tides have changed, and you want something more intimate. That’s why fall is called cuffing season.
Cuffing season describes the desire to be “tied down” (in other words, cuffed) during the colder months. Urban dictionary says that “the cold weather and prolonged indoor activity causes singles to become lonely.”
Cuffing season, while the term is young, isn’t something new. Rather, it’s evolutionary. Craving physical contact is a survival instinct we all have, and winter naturally increases our need to survive.
Your “skin hunger” alerts your body it’s time to find someone to cuff with. Skin hunger is best described as the craving for sensual touch. As our bodies are preparing for the cold weather, we’re more drawn to sensual touch like hugging, hand holding, massaging, etc.
Where did “cuffing season” come from?
Cuffing season wasn't a well-known concept until it started appearing in college newspapers in 2011. The term cuff originates in African-American vernacular and refers to hooking up.
Rappers like Fabolous started using the term in their lyrics, making it a part of pop culture. The existence of dating apps like Tinder also helps to put the idea of cuffing season on center stage.
When does cuffing season begin and end?
Cuffing season isn’t for spring and summer—this is a strict fall and winter activity. So, if you’re in a relationship in May, you’re not cuffing. Most cuffing relationships start in October and end right before Valentine’s Day. That way, there’s enough time to prepare yourself for being your single summer self.
Are there rules to cuffing season?
There’s no rulebook to cuffing, but there are a couple of tips to keep in mind.
Talk to your cuffing partner and make sure you both know what the relationship is. If it helps, create some basic rules (like seeing each other x number of times a week or not sleeping over).
Instead, you can practice self-intimacy using sex toys and engage in non-sexual touch with friends and family.
Don’t have a cuffing partner?
Here’s the thing, cuffing isn’t so much about our sexual drives as it is about intimacy. While having a cuffing partner can help curb your skin hunger, cuffing isn’t a necessity. Having non-sexual touch can also help.
That said, using a toy like the Fuse vibrator or Keon & Feel stroker can increase your self-intimacy (while sexually satisfying yourself at the same time—it’s like a win-win).
Cuffing season is here, and now that you know more about it, here’s a question we have for you: Are you going to cuff?
WRITTEN BY
Natasha Ivanovic
Natasha Ivanovic is an intimacy, dating, and relationship writer best known for her writings on Kiiroo, LovePanky, Post Pravda, and more. She's the creator and author of her short stories on TheLonelySerb. She completed her first degree in Criminology and continued and finished her Masters in Investigative Psychology, but then decided to follow her true passion of writing.
