In a recent HerCampus at Northeastern article, Taylor Zinnie unpacks the growing sentiment among young women that having a boyfriend is embarrassing. On social media platforms and online circles, teasing boyfriends (and men in general) points to a more exhaustive female movement away from patriarchal, unfulfilling heteronormativity. In fact, Zinnie notes, “countless women took to the Internet to express their relief at the changing tides, echoing the idea that being single is a luxury worth celebrating.”
The article features insights from WGSS-jointly appointed professors Lauren Savit and Margot Abels, who both reiterate that this is a response to a certain brand of toxic masculinity gone sour.
“Historically, women needed heteronormativity because they did not have access to the professional sphere. Marriage was a structural necessity. Now that this isn’t universally true, women realizing they don’t need relationships with men feels disruptive,” says Savit.
Abels maps the political backdrop to this moment, explaining that “This generation came of age during the #MeToo movement. There was this sense of excitement and potential,” she said. “Now, we are facing elected officials making decisions for us and our bodies. Whiplash is the best way to describe it.”
As young women navigate the already-tricky dating scene made tricker by the digital interface of dating apps, social media, and online communication, they are themselves rewriting the rules of modern romance. Read the full article here.
