How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days: 21st Century Edition

Day 1: Bombarding His Phone with Texts and Emojis

In 2003, Andie Anderson smothered Ben with clinginess and overly emotional outbursts. Today, it would be what an endless stream of texts, GIFs, and heart emojis flooding his phone would look like. A constant need for attention is suffocating, especially if it's only been one or two days. Keep it casual! Nobody wants to wake up to 50 missed messages before the first date.

Day 2: Social Media Stalking—and Letting Him Know It

The 21st century has given us the ways to reach one's whole life via social media. But here is the screw-up: mentioning something that happened at his beach vacation in 2010 or liking his photo from graduation. Of course, we all do some amount of profile stalking, but oversharing what you find will make him go, "How did she even find that?" Keep online snooping subtle-no one likes a creepy stalker.

Day 3: Over-the-Top Instagram Public Displays of Affection

What's the modern-day equivalent of Andie's premature "love fern" move? You post a picture of the two of you after a few dates with a caption that says something like "My forever." It's cute, but after three days, it's more of a red flag. Too early public declarations will make him go, "Is she moving too fast?" Let the relationship grow organically before you reveal it on social media.

Day 4: Being Terrible at… Intimacy

This would mean showing zero interest in his preferences or making jokes at awkward moments. Even if the chemistry is there, act utterly uninterested or get overly technical-because nothing screams romance like making an intimate moment into a biology lecture.

Day 5: Bombarding Him with TikTok Trends and Memes

The idea of connecting with him is amazing, but flooding him with funny TikToks or memes is just too much. Pinging his feed with whatever random videos one happens to see and expecting engagement in absolutely every one of them-just too much. There needs to be an upside-a balance-just like the way one would not bombard another person with constant conversation if it were a real encounter.

Day 6: Jumping Ahead in the Relationship

Just as Andie says baby names to Ben, freak him out by way too early future planning. Casually mention your dream wedding, ask how many kids he wants, or let him know you found the perfect house for the two of you to live in. If you really want to throw him off, make a composite photo of what your kids might look like and send it his way. You're just planning ahead, right?

Day 7: Oversharing Your Relationship on Stories

We've been there-watching that one couple who seems to capture every single second of time that they spend together and put it up on Instagram Stories. At an early stage in a relationship, it is best not to post every coffee date or movie night that ensues. Sometimes, broadcasting your relationship 24/7 can make it feel like you're living your love life for an audience rather than for each other.

Day 8: Nag About His Hobbies

If he has any hobbies—things such as gaming, smoking cigars, or even playing guitar—now is your time. Tear his one-by-one hobbies to shreds. "Why do you spend so much time on this? Shouldn't you focus on more productive things?" Andie nags Ben in the original over his smoking of cigars, but in today's world, you can nag him about anything from his favorite video game to his sneaker collection. Make him feel like his personal interests are a waste of time.

Day 9: Playlist Sabotage

Instead of bringing in CDs like Andie, make a painfully cheesy Spotify playlist in which you include the most gagging love songs you can find. Like with Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On in repeat mode.

Day 10: Getting Way Too Comfortable

In the final stretch, it’s time to go all out. Start using his toothbrush, wear his clothes without asking, and call his mom to chat (without him knowing). You can also “accidentally” leave stuff at his place—like your skincare routine, clothes, and, if you really want to push it, a hairbrush full of your hair. The goal is to make it feel like you’re already moving in.

Photo Credit: Paramount Pictures