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

This week Single's Day is celebrated.

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

But beyond the capitalist theme, Single's Day represents the vindication of singleness as a way of life... and these types of topics fascinate us.

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

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

You're going to stay to dress saints

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

In the popular imagination, if you think of singles... you think of hermits, crazy cat women, 50-year-old virgins, super geeks or someone who is unbearable (and that... you don't want for yourself).

via GIPHY

To this day, in certain circles, being single is not okay. You are missing something.

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

It's fashionable
Bring benefits
Open options
And it does not imply any renunciation: neither to family, nor to living alone.

1. Being single is fashionable and is getting worse

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

By 'market structure'. Supply and demand do not match. Although Tinder says so, there is a mismatch that means that, yes or yes, there will be ~30% of the single adult population, and the figure will continue to grow in the future.
By 'social evolution'. We are generations of increasingly late adolescence where the traditional rites of passage (leaving your parents' house, finding a permanent job, buying a house,...) are postponed... or suppressed altogether.
For 'variety of options'. The jack-knight of our parents and grandparents of finding a partner at 23, getting married at 25 and having 2.1 children between 28 and 30 is a bit fossil; a Roman baptistery from the 1st century. And now there are as many alternatives as there are ice cream flavors at Mercadona.

2. Being single brings benefits that a couple does not have

Like everything, we talk about studies, but on average, singles vs. paired:

They invest more in themselves. In the end there is a question of more time dedicated to taking care of yourself physically, intellectually and emotionally; time spent on creative projects, time for travel, time spent exploring...
...But they also invest more in others. They cultivate more friendships in time, quantity and quality. The fact that couples (generalizing) withdraw into themselves and forget a bit about the outside world has been more than studied.

via GIPHY

3. Being single opens up more options

If a relationship (so simply) is defined as the union of a vital project, complicity and passion with one person... why not look for those ingredients in several?

We can have fuck buddies and friends with benefits
In addition, we can have partners and colleagues
And on top of that, we can also have Besties, party buddies, confession buddies,…

Liquid friendships, polyamorous and flexible relationships, fluid orientations... come to enrich the panorama and unconstrict us from a single model.

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

4. Single ≠ live alone ≠ without family

And since we are rethinking everything and not wanting to sacrifice anything, being single does not imply (necessarily and if you do not want to) neither living alone nor giving up a family.

If what scares you is being old and living alone, a trend that is coming strong is cohousing . Did you ever say... what if all of us colleagues retired in a town and set it up? Well, that's a bit of what cohousing is: private houses with common areas where you can share leisure and friendship. Like in Erasmus but without the tacky stuff and with (somewhat) more money.
And finally, a few days ago a report shed light on a phenomenon that is still a minority but increasingly common: “coparenting” or “coparenting .” Friends who don't fuck, don't live together, but share a way of seeing life and a common project. Your son. They redefine “family.” They extend it, they enrich it. And it works for them.

via GIPHY

single pride

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

Voluntary, elected or imposed; Whether you are temporarily or permanently single does not mean losing in the game of life.

Being single is simply another way of living and being happy. It can mean anything you want. In 2021, being single:

It is to stop talking about resignation and start talking about self-affirmation and development.
It is to stop talking about loneliness, to talk about empowerment and fully enjoying this stage or way of life.

PS: This week's post is sponsored by our Giggleberries intimate cream. Designed for moments of pre-passion, with yourself or accompanied. For a taste of 🍆 hydration and conditioning to enjoy single or in polyamory.