Music is still synonymous with romance – just ask West Elm Caleb. But dating apps reduce it to data points, and a digital playlist is no match for the mixtapes of old
The way culture works today, you will either know everything there is to know about West Elm Caleb or nothing. For the uninitiated, he is a 20-something New Yorker who works at a furniture store and gained online infamy for his poor dating behaviour. A group of women who had met Caleb via dating apps and then connected with each other on TikTok have accused him of ignoring messages, recycling lines, sleeping with one shortly before going on a date with another and sending unsolicited nudes.
After 15m views of the #westelmcaleb hashtag on TikTok, the facts of the situation are unclear and the ethics murkier still. I do, however, feel qualified to comment on one element: Caleb’s seduction playlist on Spotify. One of the claims against Caleb was that he sent at least two women the same playlist, each believing it to have been personalised; it’s now being circulated to inform our collective arbitration of his conduct.
