Single Pride: 3+1 reasons to claim being single as a way of life

This week we celebrate Single's Day.

It all started as a joke between colleagues (Chinese) to celebrate the 'B side' of Valentine's Day and then the department stores picked up on it with the excuse of having another day of sales and promotions before Christmas.

But beyond the capitalist theme, Single's Day represents the celebration of being single as a way of life... and we love this kind of thing.

Because in 2021, being single has nothing to do with being alone…

…it can be a crowd, a clan, or a multitude… 👯‍♂️👯‍♂️👯‍♂️ …and may involve projects 🏠complicity 👯‍♂️…and sex 💦.

You're going to end up an old maid.

The use of 'bachelor' as a pejorative term is a worse anachronism than José Mota's New Year's Eve special, but let's not kid ourselves, it exists (and you believed it) to this day.

In the popular imagination, if you think of single people... you think of hermits, the crazy cat lady, virgins at 50, super geeks or someone unbearable (and that's not what you want for yourself).

via GIPHY

Even today, in certain circles, being single isn't considered fulfilling. You're missing something.

However, we couldn't disagree more with all those stories. For us, being single in 2021:

It's fashionable
It brings benefits
Open options
And it doesn't involve any sacrifices: neither of family, nor of living alone.

1. Being single is in fashion and it's only going to get more popular.

Being 100% objective, there are (and will be) more and more single people:

By 'market structure'. Supply and demand don't match. Even if Tinder says otherwise, there's a mismatch that means there will inevitably be around 30% of the adult population single, and the figure will continue to grow in the future.
Due to 'social evolution'. We are increasingly more adolescent generations late where traditional rites of passage (leaving your parents' house, finding a permanent job, buying a house, …) are postponed... or completely eliminated.
For 'variety of options'. The tried-and-true plan of our parents and grandparents—finding a partner at 23, getting married at 25, and having 2.1 children between 28 and 30—is a bit of a fossil; a Roman baptistery from the 1st century. And now there are as many alternatives as there are flavors of ice cream at Mercadona.

2.Being single has benefits that being in a relationship doesn't.

Like everything else, we're talking about studies, but on average, the singles compared to the paired ones:

They invest more in themselves. Ultimately, it's about having more time to take care of yourself physically, intellectually, and emotionally; time dedicated to creative projects, time for travel, time dedicated to exploring...
...But they also invest more in others. They cultivate more friendships in terms of time, quantity, and quality. It's a well-studied fact that couples (generally speaking) tend to withdraw into themselves and forget about the outside world a little.

via GIPHY

3. Being single opens up more options

If a relationship (in its simplest terms) is defined as the union of a life project, complicity, and passion with a person... why not look for those ingredients in several?

We can have friends with benefits and friends with benefits.
In addition, we can have business partners and colleagues.
And on top of that, we can also have besties, party buddies, confidants, …

Liquid friendships, polyamorous and flexible relationships, fluid orientations… enrich the landscape and free us from a single model.

Thus, being 'single' does not mean having to give up or envy any ingredient of couples; it only means wanting or having to look for them in different places.

4. Single ≠ living alone ≠ without family

And since we're on the topic of rethinking everything and not wanting to sacrifice anything, being single doesn't necessarily imply (and if you don't want to) living alone or giving up on having a family.

If what scares you is being old and living alone, one trend that's gaining momentum is the cohousingYou once said, "What if all my friends and I retired to a small town and started a community?" Well, that's kind of what cohousing is: private houses with shared common areas where you can spend time together and build friendships. Like Erasmus, but without the shabbiness and with (a bit) more money.
And finally, a few days ago a report shed light about a phenomenon that is still a minority but increasingly frequent: the “coparenting” or “coparenting”Friends who don't sleep together, don't live together, but share a way of seeing life and a common project: their child. They redefine "family." They extend it, they enrich it. And it works for them.

via GIPHY

Bachelor pride

The point is; after considering all these options, we just want to emphasize one loud and clear, resonant and proud message: being single does not mean putting ANYTHING on hold.

Voluntary, chosen, or imposed; being single temporarily or permanently does not imply losing in the game of life.

Being single is simply another way to live and be happy. It can mean whatever you want it to mean. In 2021, being single:

It's about stopping talking about resignation and starting to talk about self-affirmation and development.
It's about moving beyond talking about loneliness and towards talking about empowerment and fully enjoying this stage or way of life.

P.dThis week's post is sponsored by our intimate cream GiggleberriesDesigned for moments of foreplay, whether alone or with a partner. For a little something extra. 🍆 Hydration and conditioning to enjoy single or in polyamory.