Welcome to KISS KISS. We are a London-based magazine exploring romance in all its complexity, not the fairy tale, but the messy, lived experience. KISS KISS traces the many ways intimacy shapes our lives, challenging how we think about romance, identity, and connection. Stylish, intelligent, and unafraid to look at love with open eyes. KISS KISS moves through four movements: The Rush, The Routine, The Reckoning, and The Repair. From first-date nerves and situationships to secure intimacy, toxic patterns, and heartbreak, we trace the ways love shapes our lives today. Inside, you will find personal stories, cultural observations, and reflections on identity and desire. We explore the thrill of attraction in Scent or a Scam? The Truth About “Pheromone Perfume” (p.12), the comfort of routine in Garlic Bread is Better Than Sex (p.32), the challenges of obsession in Are We Dating… or Just Replaying? (p.40), and the subtle art of reinvention in How Dementia Changes Love (p.60). Fashion, culture, emotion, and love intersect here, reflecting how a generation fluent in the modern digital world experiences romance. This magazine doesn’t romanticise love. It documents it unapologetically, honestly, and with style. Because even in a world of fleeting moments, love is still urgent, still compelling, and still worth noticing. Kiss Kiss invites you on this journey. We hope you enjoy this first issue as much as we do.
“Modern dating environments often limit opportunities for authentic communication,” she says. “When interactions are mediated through screens, people may feel pressure to present themselves in particular ways.” This can activate what Oskis describes as a performative side of relationships.”
In many cases, individuals are trying to avoid rejection or abandonment,” she says. “That is at the core of attachment anxiety." In other words, people are not simply communicating, they are also managing how they appear to others.
Jane Halsall also observes that modern dating culture can intensify attachment-related anxieties. Dating apps create the sense that there are always more potential partners available, while communication patterns such as ghosting or inconsistent replies can introduce emotional instability.
"For individuals with anxious attachment, uncertainty can feel particularly distressing,”, she says. “At the same time, the abundance of choice can make people hesitant to commit."
As a result, modern dating environments can sometimes amplify both anxious and avoidant tendencies. Some individuals respond to uncertainty by seeking greater reassurance and emotional closeness. Others respond by creating distance. Both reactions are shaped by the same underlying question: Is this relationship safe?
One of the most confusing aspects of modern relationships is how quickly emotional intensity can develop. People sometimes find themselves deeply affected by relationships that lasted only a short time. Even after a connection ends, the emotional impact may linger.
From the perspective of attachment theory, however, the duration of a relationship is not always the most important factor. Doctor Andrea Oskis explains that attachment systems respond primarily to emotional closeness, rather than time itself.
“Emotionally, it's often not just about the here and now,” she says. "Something relational from the past may be activated."
Moments of vulnerability, sharing personal stories, expressing fears, or feeling truly understood, can create powerful bonds even within a short period. In addition, certain relationship dynamics can intensify emotional attachment. Psychologists often refer to intermittent reinforcement, where moments of closeness are followed by periods of distance.
This unpredictability can heighten emotional investment rather than reduce it. Situationships often operate within this dynamic. Because these relationships lack clear definition or commitment, they can feel emotionally confusing. For individuals with anxious attachment, this ambiguity can trigger a strong need for reassurance. For others, particularly those who are more comfortable with emotional distance, loosely defined relationships may initially feel easier to navigate. Yet over time, even these arrangements can create tension as emotional intimacy develops.
"These early experiences shape beliefs about whether others are reliable"
Despite these complexities, both Oskis and Halsall emphasise that attachment patterns are not fixed. Relationships themselves can influence how attachment evolves. "Attachment styles can change when people experience supportive relationships," Oskis explains.
“That's why I like to think of attachment theory as a hopeful theory," Halsall agrees. “Developing awareness is often the first step," she says. "When people begin to recognise their emotional patterns, they gain more freedom in how they respond."
Ultimately, attachment theory offers a different way of understanding modern love. It suggests that the emotional patterns we experience in relationships are not random. They are shaped by our histories, our experiences, and the ways we have learned to seek connection.
And perhaps that is why, even in a world filled with new matches and new beginnings, relationships can sometimes feel strangely familiar. Because every new relationship carries not only the possibility of a future, but also the emotional stories we bring with us.