The Cut - Why Is the Word Fiancé So Embarrassing?

In the past year, I’ve heard the following adjectives used to describe the word fiancé: fancy, snooty, French, formal, precious, pompous, hoity-toity, and — from my closest and judgiest friend — “Who do you think you are?” These days, it seems like everyone I know is going to increasingly absurd lengths to dodge actually using it. Colin, an architect in Nashville who has been married since 2018, told me that during his yearlong engagement he found himself rearranging sentences so that he could say “we’re engaged” instead of calling his future wife his fiancée. Emi, an editor who lives in New York, stuttered through a cycle of labels every time she had to introduce her significant other (“I would call him my boy- my fia- my part- my Aiden”), before doubling down on the weirdness and facetiously introducing him as her “betrothed” — silly voice and all. Another friend, Erica, “tried to use it as little as possible” when she was engaged and, when she couldn’t avoid it, always added an eye roll. In wedding Reddit threads, engaged couples have shared even sillier terms they use to try to deformalize their relationship status: Beyoncé, future husband, pre-husband, ex-boyfriend, slam piece, man possum.

The Reservation Dogs are heading home for season 3, which will be their last — watch the trailer. And if you’re not spoiler-averse, you can also watch the first trailer for Amazon’s Red, White & Royal Blue adaptation. Wimbledon has changed its women’s dress code for the first time in 146 years. Good for them, keeping the magic (or whatever) alive. Who doesn’t love some good wood? Our record-breakingly-hot summer is the new normal, not an anomaly. Ugly fashion reigns supreme, but not everyone is welcome to participate in the trend. The National Labor Relations Board is reviewing more than two dozen claims of unfair labor practices against REI. And there’s new short fiction from Ottessa Moshfegh in the New Yorker.

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