YOU WERE NEVER IN LOVE. YOU WERE IN A CAMPAIGN.
There’s a specific kind of high that hits when someone showers you with attention, affection, and praise all at once. It’s intoxicating. Fast. Euphoric. Almost too good to be true.

That’s because it is.

We talk about love bombing like it’s a red flag, but let’s be real—it’s a billboard.
Glossy, seductive, tailored just for you.
And it works not because you’re naïve, but because it’s engineered to.

This isn’t a love story. This is psychological advertising.
And your trauma history? That’s the target audience.

PART I: THE LAUNCH STRATEGY (OR, “YOU’RE NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS”)
Love bombers don’t date. They market.
And you? You’re the latest campaign.

It starts with the “soft launch”:

• A vague post of your hand on their story

• A flurry of heart-eye emojis

• “I’ve never felt this way about anyone” before the second drink hits

Suddenly, you’re a limited-edition product drop they “just had to have.”
You’re niche. Rare. The one.

Except this isn’t intimacy. It’s impulse.
You’ve been identity-mapped in real-time. Every compliment is market research. Every trauma you share is content to be spun into strategy.

They don’t fall in love with you.
They fall in love with how well you fit their narrative.

PART II: THE LOYALTY PROGRAM (AKA STAY, AND I’LL KEEP PERFORMING)
What looks like intimacy is often incentive.
Enter the emotional rewards system:

• 1 point for every overstep you let slide

• 5 points if you don’t question their disappearing act

• 20 points if you laugh when they mock your boundaries

• Double points for ignoring your gut

This is the early access phase. They want you hooked. Engaged.
You’re not a person—they’re building a user base.

They love bomb so they don’t have to show up.
Because why build a relationship when you can just launch one?

PART III: THE BRAND TURNS
Here’s the shift: once you’re “in,” the tone rebrands.

That sweet affection?
It’s now “You’re too sensitive.”

Those daily texts?
You’re now “too clingy.”

Your need for clarity?
Suddenly, you’re “controlling.”

Gaslighting becomes the new brand voice.
You’re not dating someone—you’re dealing with a PR crisis that you get blamed for.

They sold you an identity.
And when you stop buying, they blame you for the crash in engagement.

PART IV: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF WHY THIS HURTS SO DAMN MUCH
Here’s what most people miss:
Love bombing doesn’t work because it’s charming—it works because it mirrors your unmet needs.

If you’ve ever been starved of attention, they’ll flood you with it.
If you’ve been told you’re “too much,” they’ll beg for more of you—until they don’t.
If you’ve ever tried to earn love by being perfect, they’ll let you believe you’ve finally succeeded.

It’s not love. It’s an emotional Ponzi scheme.
The return on investment? Nonexistent.
But you keep paying with your time, your peace, and your self-trust.

PART V: WHEN IT CRASHES—AND WHY YOU STILL BLAME YOURSELF
Eventually, the campaign runs out.
The budget dries up. The mask slips.

But instead of seeing them for who they are, you question yourself.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“Was I not enough?”
“Maybe they were just scared…”

Let me be blunt:
They weren’t scared. They were self-serving.
They didn’t ghost because you were too intense. They ghosted because they never intended to stay.

They used emotional inflation to build hype—then dipped when the launch didn’t live up to their fantasy.
And you?
You’re left cleaning up the mess, wondering if the glitter was ever real.

It wasn’t. But your hurt is.

PART VI: HOW TO NEVER GET LOVE-BOMBED AGAIN (OR AT LEAST, LESS FREQUENTLY)
This isn’t a call to become cynical.
This is a call to become conscious.

Ask yourself:

• Do they move fast because they see me, or because they want to consume me?

• Is this passion, or performance?

• Are they present when things are quiet—or only when it’s intense?

Love doesn’t need a launch team.
It grows slow, weird, and a little awkward. It doesn’t always come with flowers—it comes with consistency.
It comes with boring, and boring is sacred.

RED FLAG GLOSSARY: TOXIC MARKETING TERMS, TRANSLATED

The Lines You’re Fed:

• “I’ve never met anyone like you.”

• “We don’t need labels.”

• “You’re overreacting.”

• “I’m just scared of how much I feel.”

• “You’re so different from my ex.”

Translation:

• “I just met you, but I’m already building a fantasy.“

• ”I want the benefits without the accountability.“

• ”Your intuition is making me uncomfortable.“

• ”I will use my fear as an excuse to mistreat you.“

• ”You’re next.’’

BREAKUP BINGO: HOW TO KNOW YOU DODGED A MARKETING SCAM

Check all that apply:
☐ They called you their soulmate within 10 days
☐ They mirrored every insecurity with admiration
☐ They disappeared after big emotional confessions
☐ They used their “trauma” as currency
☐ They mocked your boundaries but praised your “empathy”
☐ You feel like you’re going through withdrawal, not grief
☐ You questioned your sanity more than once
☐ They had a sob story for every red flag
☐ You kept giving second chances to someone who never actually earned the first

If you checked 3 or more:
Congrats. You weren’t crazy. You were targeted.

FINAL WORD: YOU’RE NOT UNLOVABLE—YOU’RE JUST DONE BEING SOLD TO.
Love bombing is just manipulation in a trench coat, pretending to be intimacy.
It’s not your job to stay loyal to someone who only knows how to perform affection.

The next time someone comes in hot and heavy, don’t be flattered—be curious.
Ask yourself:
Does this feel like love…
or just really good copy?