There are different ways a shipper's reasons for Shipping can be Shipping Goggles. Here are a few of these ways.
- Thinking that characters X and Y must be a couple or one must have a crush on the other, even if it interferes with one or both of their orientations.: For example, thinking that Alice and Bob must be secretly dating, even if Bob is gay, thinking that Alice must have a crush on Carol, even though Alice is straight, or writing a fanfic in which Carol is sexually attracted to Alice or Bob, even though Carol is asexual.
- Shipping two characters, even if one is already in a relationship: For example, having Alice date Bob in a fanfiction or speculating that Alice is dating Bob, even though she is already with Charlie. The shipper may give no reason for Alice suddenly dating Bob or they might make Alice and Charlie break up for an implausible reason. If they break up with a plausible reason in a fanfic, that's not Shipping Goggles (although it does run the risk of being incompatible with canon) buĊ§ if they're usually not petty and have a Toilet Seat Divorce, then it is. The shipper might also claim that Alice is hiding her sexual or romantic attraction for Bob to avoid hurting Charlie's feelings, even though it's never been canonically hinted at.
- Thinking that being friendly equals romance: For example, thinking Bob must have a crush on Alice because he held the door open for her, despite the fact that Bob's a Nice Guy and Alice was carrying something, or thinking that Carol and Dave must be dating because they hang out a lot, even though they're just friends.
- Thinking that if two characters pretend or are thought to be a couple in-universe, they must actually be one: For example, if Alice thinks Bob is dating Charlie, but they claim not to, the shipper thinks they must be lying, or if Alice plays Bob's Love Interest in a play, the shipper thinks they must actually be a couple. While such setups are a fairly common way to introduce or play up Unresolved Sexual Tension, this is not always the case.
