I was thinking about this while reading here the other day. I referred to my first serious partner with a pretty generic pet name. Now, not only do I not use that specific word in reference anymore for anyone, I don’t give partners pet names at all. It feels juvenile.
It’s one thing for a high school or really young couple to call each other “babe” or “baby” but to see someone older than maybe 25 (and that’s pushing it) calling another grown adult a name like that makes me so uncomfortable. I feel like generic pet names are something you should eventually grow out of. Nicknames are one thing, but “babe” isn’t a nickname, it’s a cringe title or something idk.
I’ve also noticed that the age of a couple who uses such titles directly correlates to the the toxicity and instability of a relationship. The only people who are 30+ and still saying shit like that are performative social media couples that share Facebook accounts due to chronic cheating or they’re trailer trash. At least in my experience. The older they are, the more insecure/trashy they are, every time.