Over the past few months there has been an outburst of the use of a phrase we like to call "Netflix and chill." The millennials, which would be my generation, are getting put down for treating ourselves like we are not good enough for a relationship. If you are unsure what "Netflix and chill" is (which is probably a good thing) then I can explain it for you.
According to Urban Dictionary, "Netflix and chill" (verb) is a subtle way to lure a girl or a guy to come over, initially as just a friend, so that it can lead to an opportunity of getting intimate with them while Neflix is playing in the background.
I am not saying that there is anything bad about cuddling and watching TV with your significant other but these days significant others rarely exist. There is a difference between being a booty call and being a girlfriend boyfriend. Correct me if I am wrong, but I was taught that usually you go on a date with someone you are attracted to or interested in. You get to know the person over coffee or dinner (it doesn't have to be some fancy or expensive restaurant). Eventually after a few dates, you are dating and then that's when it would be acceptable to hook up (or "Netflix and chill") with them. Isn't that what we have always known?
Millennials are teaching the younger generations that dating no longer exists, because we were the ones who made it stop existing!
When did we stop dating? And why?
Take a moment to think about the story your parents or grandparents told you about the first time they met. My grandparents met in a candy shop in 1959 when they were 15 years old. My grandpa saw my grandma from across the store, and when he told me the story, he said that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Later that day, he called her from a public phone booth and begged her just for one date to the movies. This year marks their 50th year of marriage. No, I did not make any of this up. This is how every love story should be and it is sad that some people believe that this kind of relationship is too good to be true.
Now let's think about the stories that our generation is going to tell our grandchildren. "Well, I swiped right (on Tinder), messaged him/her my number and the rest is basically history." I'm sure you have seen dozens of tweets or vines that use that same exact line as a joke to explain the downfall of our generation but the sad part is, it is not a joke. It is the downfall of our generation! This is real, this is what dating in our generation has come down to. And if we don't change it, that is going to be the kind of story we will tell our children and grandchildren one day.
If this "Netflix and chill" trend continues and our generation stops believing in the idea of dating altogether, then when we're 80 years old, we will be "Netflix and chilling" with the attractive elder who lives across the hall from us in the nursing home. Is that how you pictured your life?
Our generation is so much better than texts that say, "Come over and watch Netflix my parents aren't home." Stop sending and receiving those kinds of messages. Take action and ask someone you want to date on a date, tell the person you love that you love them. We are all capable of finding someone better than the person who used to call us up at 2 a.m. to watch "How I Met Your Mother."
