If you’re like me (and 80 percent of women my age, I’d wager), you’d be squished on the couch with some pals, stuffing sweets into your faces every Monday evening, watching along as 20 other rich, high class women try to win the heart of a single man- the Bachelor.

Let me disclaim this now: I am absolutely not condemning anyone.

The Bachelor and Bachelorette have good intentions- one single person’s attempt to find love post-multitude of failed relationships, what’s wrong with that? Our obsession, however, does not.
On these shows, the men and women cast are frowned upon when they’re kicked off or say things out of the blue like, “Why would I tell you I love you when we’ve only been on one date?” They’re ridiculed when they fail to fall for the main contestant. I think this has very much to do with our cultural thirst for relationships. We see it everywhere- it floods our minds like subconscious propaganda. Pop culture would not exist without it.

Sure, it’s nice to have someone around for you that “loves” you and “cares” for you- there’s nothing wrong with that.

It is when we as a society condemn singleness and use it as a synonym for unattractive, depressing and disgusting.

Single people are people, too! For some reason, we tend to find people that are not available more desirable (which probably has something to do with the Great Oxymoron of Life…thanks, God), further separating the “attractive” (not single) from the “unattractive” (single).

The Bachelor and Bachelorette seem to have run off with this idea, creating a multimillion-dollar profit off of those seeking love, amongst millions of viewers who adhere to the ideas presented on them.

“It’s not normal to be single!”
“You must find love or you’ll be sad and lonely forever.”
Bruh, WHAT? Maybe it’s not normal to be single at a small liberal arts university (looking at you, OBU) but you were born that way. You’re not lonely if you don’t have a sensual relationship with the opposite sex (unless you don’t have friends…)!

Singleness is beautiful. Dating is beautiful.

Quit trying to decipher normalcy.