Single girls get judged more often than those who are happily coupled up. It’s just a sad fact. People wonder why they’re still solo, what their bad dates are like, and if they even want to meet someone in the first place. Really, it’s no one’s business but yours if you’re single, whether by choice or circumstances, but there are some thoughts and viewpoints about single women that persist. Here are the 10 single women stereotypes that really need to go away ASAP.
- The Free-Spirited Hippie. This stereotype is about a girl who not only doesn’t need a man, but doesn’t actually want one. She’s too busy trying new hobbies, dancing at summer music festivals while wearing something with fringe on it, and generally being super quirky. Does this girl actually exist beyond the catalog pages of Urban Outfitters? Let’s stop thinking that just because you have interests and hobbies, it means you don’t want a relationship, now or eventually.
- The Bitter Mean Girl. She’s been burned in the past and now completely hates people. This stereotype is a lot like calling a woman a bitch because she actually has opinions – and we all know that there are upsides to being a bitch, anyway. Just because you’ve gone through a bad break-up (which, hello, we all have) doesn’t mean you hate men.
- The Heartbroken Hopeless Romantic. She’s the queen of romantic comedies. She listen to love ballads and cries (or sobs) when someone announces their engagement on Facebook. This one is just insulting because there is honestly nothing wrong with nursing a broken heart. No one really cries 100 percent of the time. And besides, if you’ve just been horribly dumped and find yourself crying in a diner with your bestie, that just means you’re human.
- The Serial Dater. She goes on endless first dates and has never had a second one. If she has, she’s never had more than a month-long almost-relationship. People love to blame a single woman and say no guy is good enough for her. But it’s true sometimes. You should never settle for someone who has perfect qualities but isn’t perfect for you.
- The Bridesmaid. You know the saying: “Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.” Thanks to the movies, this stereotype is going strong and people seem to think that if you’re in your friend’s wedding, that means you’re unhappily single and hate every moment of it. But not everyone wants to get married right now (or ever), so let’s stop expecting every bridesmaid to secretly want to be the bride.
- The Career Obsessive. She loves her job so much she has no time for guys. You’ve heard this one a million times. Why can’t you want a career and love, too? We don’t shame perpetual bachelors who are all about their careers, so let’s stop shaming single girls who enjoy what they do.
- The Super Strong Tomboy. This perpetual stereotype seems to suggest that girls with boyfriends or husbands can’t possibly be strong, too. As if, as Cher would say. Being in love has nothing to do with being strong or weak.
- The Desperate One. She doesn’t want to meet a man, she wants a husband. She goes on tons of dates and freaks every single guy out so much that she’s still single. Okay, how offensive is this stereotype? And yet even us girls talk about it. One of my best friends used this stereotype to describe one of her own friends and it just made me shudder. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to meet someone we can eventually marry, so let’s stop putting down other girls.
- The Commitment-Phobe. She’s totally going to be alone forever because she won’t put herself out there (wherever “there” is). Commitment is a bigger deal than a lot of us think, so let’s not make fun of this girl for wanting it to mean something before she lets just any guy into her life.
Love and dating are never simple, but let’s stop making things even harder for ourselves and let’s let go of these single women stereotypes. Whether we’re single or taken, we’re so much more than labels.
