‘Chronic Singleness.’ Let’s Talk About It. Part I

One topic Gen Z doesn’t mind talking about is dating. Because of all its challenges, some say they are not choosing to prioritize dating, or they are just opting out entirely. To be fair, that is not the case for all of Gen Z. A decent number of twenty-year-olds do very much want to be in a relationship, yet they consistently remain single. A selection of the latter group have, in true Gen Z fashion, taken to social media to air their grievances, labeling themselves “the chronically single friend,” and their stories prove the dating landscape is rough terrain.

I ran across the “chronically single” trending topic on TikTok a month or so ago. These single twentysomethings started making lists about the number of unhelpful (and generally obnoxious) comments people have made to them over the years — and they are over hearing them. In one of the most viral TikToks, a twenty-five-year-old listed a few of the pieces of advice she hears most often, including, “It will happen when you least expect it,” and “Stop looking and that’s when you’ll find it.” She explained, “I haven’t been looking. And it’s the not looking, I fear, that resulted in years of absolutely no contact with a man.”