Kittenfishing is presenting a mildly exaggerated, overly flattering version of your real self on a dating profile — old or heavily edited photos, an inflated job title, a couple of added inches of height — without inventing a fully fake identity.
Coined by the dating app Hinge in 2017, off the back of its own user survey, and picked up within weeks by Mashable, The Independent and HuffPost. The word blends 'kitten' with 'catfishing' — a baby, milder version of the full deception: a real person dressed up rather than an identity invented.
// Where it sits
Kittenfishing sits in the grey zone between honest and fake — real person, flattering fiction around the edges.
What it really means
Somewhere between an honest profile and an outright fake sits kittenfishing: the real you, rounded up. The photos are genuinely yours — just the ones from three years and one good haircut ago. The height is close. The job title is technically defensible. Nothing is invented, exactly; everything is simply nudged toward the most flattering version of the truth. It's fishing with a lure that looks a lot like you, only shinier.
The word, coined by the dating app Hinge in 2017, is a deliberate junior to catfishing. A catfish invents a whole identity and hides from the reveal; a kittenfish shows up — that's the point. They are the person in the photos, more or less, which is why the letdown, when it comes, isn't shock so much as a quiet sense of the gap: the person in front of you and the person in the profile aren't quite the same size.
And here's the uncomfortable part: almost everyone does a little of it. A good angle, a favourite photo, the interesting hobby listed above the boring ones — the app practically asks for it. Kittenfishing isn't a special breed of liar so much as the ordinary vanity of self-presentation, stretched one notch too far past what the first date can quietly forgive.
Where it comes from
A 'kitten' version of catfishing: a lesser, subtler deception than a full catfish.
Myths & misconceptions
Kittenfishing and catfishing are basically the same.
Kittenfishing embellishes a real person who does show up in person; catfishing invents a fake identity — often using someone else's photos — for a person who never truly exists as portrayed.
Only a few dishonest people kittenfish.
It's framed as extremely common — one of the most frequent dating faux pas — because light photo-editing and flattering self-description are nearly universal on apps.
How it unfolds
The best angle
The profile leans on the most flattering photos — a few years old, well-lit, carefully cropped — and the most impressive details.
The rounding up
Height gains an inch or two, the job title inflates, the hobbies get more interesting. Nothing outright invented, everything nudged upward.
The match
It works — the polished version attracts interest, and a date gets set based on the enhanced picture.
The gap
In person the real and the profile don't quite line up. The person is genuine; the disappointment comes from the distance between the pitch and the truth.
Compare & contrast
Kittenfishing vs catfishing
A matter of degree — with one line in it that is a difference in kind: the kittenfisher is a real person, the catfisher an invented one. Kittenfishing is polished-but-real — a genuine person made to look their best-and-then-some. Catfishing is wholly fabricated — a fake identity, often with stolen photos, that doesn't correspond to a real available person.
| // | Kittenfishing | Catfishing |
|---|---|---|
| The person | Real | Fabricated |
| The photos | Theirs, flattering/old | Often someone else's |
| Shows up IRL? | Yes | Avoids it |
| Severity | Mild embellishment | Full deception |
Kittenfishing vs wokefishing
Kittenfishing flatters the surface — old photos, an added inch, a better job title. Wokefishing falsifies values, performing beliefs you do not hold in order to attract someone. One embellishes the packaging; the other fakes the conscience.
| // | Kittenfishing | Wokefishing |
|---|---|---|
| What's faked | Looks and stats | Beliefs and values |
| Depth | Surface details | Core identity |
| Found out | On the first date | Once you're invested |
| Read as | Mild vanity | A serious breach |
How it connects
- Wokefishingkittenfishing fakes surface traits — looks, height, job; wokefishing fakes deeper values.
- Soft Launchingboth curate an image online — one edits the self, the other edits the relationship.
- Situationshipan embellished profile can start a connection that never quite matches the pitch — and stalls undefined.
Tell it apart
Questions people ask
- What is kittenfishing?
- Kittenfishing is presenting an exaggerated, flattering version of your real self on a dating app — using old or heavily edited photos, inflating your job or height, or embellishing your interests — without going as far as inventing a fake identity. It's a milder cousin of catfishing.
- What's the difference between kittenfishing and catfishing?
- It's a difference of degree. A kittenfisher is a real person who exaggerates and will actually show up on a date. A catfisher invents a fake identity, often using someone else's photos, for a person who doesn't exist as portrayed and typically avoids meeting.
- Is kittenfishing lying?
- It's a soft form of dishonesty — embellishment rather than fabrication. Small flattery (a good-angle photo) shades into kittenfishing when the gap between profile and reality is big enough to feel like a bait-and-switch when you meet in person.
- Where did the term kittenfishing come from?
- The dating app Hinge coined it in a June 21, 2017 article, building on 'catfishing.' The 'kitten' signals a smaller, milder version of the deception — a real person made to look better than reality, rather than a wholly invented one.