Ever felt like you were dating someone’s highlight reel instead of a real human being? This episode dives into the world of performative dating—where men flex their “alpha” routines and women curate their “cool girl” personas, all while hiding the messy, complicated truth underneath. We’ll unpack why people perform in relationships, from psychology’s “life is a stage” theory to the ways insecurity and social pressure push us into costumes we didn’t even know we were wearing.

But don’t worry, this isn’t just a finger-pointing session. We’re zooming out and asking the bigger question: why do all of us perform, and what happens when the mask starts replacing the person? From Cosmo articles to TikTok alphas, from Instagram goddesses to sitcom archetypes, we’ll sift through the theater of modern love to find out where performance ends and intimacy begins. Because let’s face it—if you’ve ever dated a character instead of a person, you know the show gets exhausting fast.