It may have a regal new name. But "throning," a term being thrown around by Gen Zers these days, doesn't represent anything new. It's being defined as dating someone mainly to enhance one's reputation and boost one's ego by associationβputting a partner on a throne to display to others rather than caring about the partner as a real person. It's effectively a form of hypergamy, which has been around since, oh, maybe the beginning of dating. Hypergamy is the practice of dating or marrying someone of higher status in an attempt to better one's situation in some way.
Whereas hypergamy may have a range of differing goals , the goal of throning is highly specific: dating someone to enhance your reputation. You are dating such-and-such-muckety-muck-big-cheese-hot-tamale so that others will, in turn, assume you are a big enchilada, too. The primary purpose of being with your partner is to bathe in the spout of their clout.
Dating in high school is in many ways a game of throning, with many people competing for the romantic attention of the popular kids in order to be considered popular, too. But what happens in high school doesn't necessarily stay in high school. Throning can continue well into adulthood, which is one of the reasons why the big persons on campus, the big professional luminaries, and the big celebrities always seem to have people interested in dating them regardless of how they look, act, and treat other people.
In fact, throning behavior isn't limited to dating. Consider how many people aim to become popular or more prominent by associating with the popular people in workplaces, schools, and social situations. Who hasn't encountered that person at work who has influence simply because he or she is close to the big boss? Or how about the name-dropper who essentially is trying to tell you, "I know important people so I am important?
If you are in the dating arena, expect throning to occur around you, to the side of you, or even at you. Or maybe you are the one who's throning others.
