Love is supposed to be crazy — in a good way. It’s exciting, intense, unpredictable, and all-around amazing. Modern dating, however, has become a whirlwind of sex, lies and complete and totally insane. WTF is going on?
- There are rules about texting. Dating has become so complicated that even minuscule details like texting have rules. That’s right, you can’t even send a guy a message without adhering to proper dating protocol. Don’t text too soon or too often. Don’t send texts with too many words or too many emojis. Never double text and if he doesn’t reply in a day, he’s not interested. Can you say complicated?
- It’s harder than ever to define the relationship. So many people just want to go with the flow. Labels have become taboo and that’s made dating even more confusing. Between friends with benefits, hookup buddies, and almost relationships, if you can’t define things then how are you supposed to know if you’re single or taken?
- Hookup culture is the new norm. If you’re an old-fashioned kind of girl who doesn’t take part in casual or meaningless sex, good luck. In modern dating, it’s hard to find a guy who’s willing to wait for sex. In fact, sex can be a “try it before you buy it” kind of dealbreaker. Even worse, just because a man sleeps with you doesn’t mean he likes you.
- The competition is greater than ever. That’s right, not only do you have to worry about men taking advantage of your fragile heart, you also have to worry about the competition of your fellow sisters. Women are being pitted against each other like never before. So much for sisters before misters…
- It’s become insanely hard to find privacy. Now that everyone seems to post every aspect of their lives on social media, it’s hard to find privacy for your private life. It feels like everyone is watching you and judging your relationship. You’re not just in a relationship with one person anymore, their whole social media following is involved in your relationship. It’s hard to imagine that private lives were actually private once.
- Your life is busier than ever. Women have avid careers that actually mean something to them. Independent women are thriving and that’s a good thing, but it also means both genders are busy AF in their on-the-go daily lives. That means you have to learn how to make time if you want to have a relationship. Personal time is pretty hard to come by and even if you do find the time to date, you have to figure out whether or not a man is worth it.
- Every guy has a fear of commitment. At least, it seems that way. So many men act like committing to a relationship is the same as a life sentence in prison. You shouldn’t have to convince a man to be with you, but mixed signals are appearing left and right. You might think a man is interested, but out of the blue, he’ll hit the breaks. Taking it slow is one thing, but putting off commitment indefinitely is just plain crazy.
- Marriage doesn’t necessarily last forever. The divorce rate is insanely high. Despite the fact that most marriages contain the same vows, couples aren’t exactly keeping their promises of for better or worse, in sickness and in health. So how are you supposed to give yourself over to someone completely when you know that the chance your love is temporary is so damn high?
- Social media rules everything. How totally crazy is that? If you’re not #relationshipgoals, then what are you? Not only does everyone know your business, but also some people believe that if it’s not posted on social media, it didn’t really happen. You can try to have a simple relationship, but good luck balancing your virtual love story with your real life partner.
- Breakups are confusing AF. In modern dating, some guys don’t even tell you it’s over. One day they’re there and the next they’re gone without a trace. How is ghosting even a thing? How did society get so far from respectable breakups that men feel they can disappear without a single word of explanation? At any given time you might be single or in a relationship, but most of the time it’s just complicated.