Flashback: It’s 1957, Elvis is rock’n and roll’n on the record player, and you’re getting ready for a date with your boyfriend. After he “pinned” you (gave you his pin to signify you’re off limits) a few weeks ago, you two have been inseparable ever since. Now flash forward: It’s 2013, JT is back, and you’re getting ready to hang with your boyfriend and some friends. Perhaps this doesn’t sound as charming and magical as “getting pinned,” but this is what we call a date in today’s society.
Where have all the formalities and excitement about dating gone? Sure you still get that special feeling when talking to someone you like or find attractive, but is it really the same? Now, going on a date means hanging out. Our perception of dating has changed into something that is much more casual and relaxed. The pressure is off and what is left is a new social norm. Instead of “getting pinned,” which is romantic and sentimental, a relationship only matters when it is Facebook official and on display for everyone to see.
Maybe my youthful bliss clouded my judgment growing up, for I believed love and relationships would mimic the naïve and innocent love story of Hugo and Kim from Bye Bye Birdie or the back-and-forth longing of Danny and Sandy from Grease. Now that I’ve grown up I realize it is so much different. Teenagers and college students are already so non-committal, hormonal, and ever evolving into different people. This idea of casual dating makes more sense and fits in with our culture. With ever-changing technology and the fast paced lives we live day to day, I suppose it shouldn’t really surprise me that dating has turned into such a casual affair.
Over time, changes occur that affect all aspects of a society. It should come as no surprise that dating is one of them. Our generation’s simplified version of dating is a good thing. The hoopla is gone, the superfluous nature is torn away, and what remains is the true essence of a relationship. Maybe dating is more casual, but this makes relationships more realistic. Sometimes life is a fairytale (hello Kate Middleton), but our generation has figured out that sometimes it’s not. Maybe we won’t get pinned, but we’ve found something that works for us. And that’s all that matters.
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