What Is a Black Cat Boyfriend?

Thanks in no small part to a certain newly engaged global superstar and the endlessly adoring fiancé who appears to worship the ground she walks on, the last few years have been all about the golden retriever boyfriend —the devoted, loyal (if perhaps somewhat dopey) male partner who lives to love you. But more recently, another male archetype has entered the chat: the black cat boyfriend.

“A black cat boyfriend is the mysterious, slightly moody counterpart to a golden retriever boyfriend,” says relationship coach Amie Leadingham . This male version of the black cat girlfriend rose to prominence this past summer, with many fans of The Summer I Turned Pretty hailing Conrad as the king of black cat boyfriend energy.

But while black cat boyfriends may have recently stolen t