I don’t know how I’ll ever end up in a relationship if our first contact is a dating app. I know technology is great and gets the job done faster, but why is it so hard to just want a meet-cute and go from there?
I’m not ashamed to admit, as a guy, that I love a good romcom like 90 to 120 minutes of a typical story, often set in New York City, because yes, you have to fall in love in New York City, or it doesn’t count.
It can’t be Saint Augustine, Florida, at the checkout line in Walmart. You have to somehow use every screen in Times Square to confess to your love interest at the last 3 minutes of the film that you always loved them.
But today’s version of this is swiping, and I couldn’t even tell you which way, but I’m going to assume right. I can’t fall in love with anyone over text; it’s all about that in-person first spark, then the text can ignite some flames.
I remember being young and falling for someone, all because we shared a laugh at school, then texted about it, and then it became a whirlwind of events.
To the point that one night after talking, we were acting weird the next day at school. But none of that would’ve happened if we hadn't spoken in person first.
I think what really makes me want to know someone better is being able to be unapologetically myself and not feel any sort of way about it.
Plus, I need the friendship beforehand; I need us to connect platonically before anything else. Be my friend first, and then whatever happens, it happens.
A perfect date in my mind is just spending the whole time talking to each other and opening up.
Opening up to someone can be scary, but at the same time I find it appealing because you’re emotionally putting a wall down you might not have known you had.
I’m 21 and have never been in a serious relationship, but I’m okay with it because I know slow and steady wins the race. I'd rather wait longer and be in a good place in my life, meet someone organically, and go from there than rush into something just because.
It’s 2026; can we bring back courting? I’ve never understood dating someone if you have no intention of marrying and building a life together.
Nobody believes in gestures anymore. What happened to flowers, picnics, or drives while getting to know one another?
I think back to “Say Anything” and the iconic boombox scene; this generation is very tech-savvy, but doesn’t want to still make the effort to make real, in-person gestures. I think we should bring back these gestures. You shouldn’t have to wait until you’re getting engaged to make a big romantic gesture for your partner.
In my perfect world, I’d want to shower someone with affirmations because some people go their whole lives without ever hearing how much they mean to someone and that they’re beautiful.
It’s so cheesy, but I want to write a love letter one day because I love writing, and I love putting my feelings into words, something a lot of people, including my family, have no idea I do.
Love is almost like today’s versions of album cycles: people just throw together a bunch of songs that have no meaning, slap a picture on it, and sell it. Today people will just start dating to pass the time. I once had a friend break up with his girlfriend right before college; he wasn’t even sad about it. They’d been dating for over a year, but the relationship played out like two people just passing the time.
That’s part of the problem. I know nobody is obligated to feel sad over a breakup or take a relationship seriously, but why not?
If you’re lucky enough to love someone and they love you back, why date for convenience instead of because you see a future?
The modern dating problem is that we’re glued to our phones and forget that making a connection with another human being is how it’s supposed to be. I can’t fall in love through a screen, and nobody should either.