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FOR LOVE OR PEANUT BUTTER

Was It The Edible Or The Ick?

Was it too soon to get high with a new dating prospect? Yes, yes it was.

Kelly Shanley
Slackjaw
Published in
9 min readNov 6, 2024

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The Ick is everywhere. Social media, popular TV shows, dating podcasts, you name it, the ick be icking.

If you don’t know what I’m referring to, the ick is basically an instant, irreversible turnoff; a flip that gets switched in your brain when the person you’re dating does something you find repulsive, often for no reason. The difference between the ick and a straight up red flag is that usually these actions are quite benign. Think more cringey than creepy. Giggling the wrong way versus gaslighting you. Make sense?

I’ve had moments with men I was dating where they did something I found wholly unattractive with every fiber of my being. But as long as it was an awkward ick and not an afraid-for-my-well-being ick, I got over it. And I have one particular instance I want to share with you.

It was the beginning of one of my few flings that actually turned into a relationship. We met through an adult kickball league — yes, a solid indication of our maturity levels — and hit it off immediately. We went out for dinner on a first date, then lunch the next…

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Kelly Shanley
Kelly Shanley

Written by Kelly Shanley

LA based writer/podcaster/comedian/mountain girl at heart. Outdoor lover, world traveler, loud laugher. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kelly-shanley

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