A New Narrative

We read an article the other day. It was not dissimilar to many of the articles we’ve found ourselves reading lately. We’d would describe it as the story of the sad, single girl. She’s the career woman in her 30s without a man in sight. She online dates but only finds complete duds and spends most of her Christmas dinner explaining to her relatives how she still has not been able to find a boyfriend. It’s the same story over and over again. We’ve all heard it too many times.

We know this story resonates with many of us. Admittedly, it’s one of the topics we cover over wine with my best girlfriends, but it is not the only topic. There is so much more to my existence than my relationship status. Yet, we find that’s what most people are curious about – why no boyfriend? We are asked far less frequently about our successful careers, our experiences attaining a graduate degree or our philanthropic endeavours. It’s as though none of our successes matter unless we have found a man to share them with. Frankly, we’re sick of this line of questioning, the look of pity that inevitably follows and the narrative of the sad, single girl that accompanies it.

Why is the story of the single girl in her 30s such a tragic one? The story of the single guy in his 30s often gets analogized with George Clooney’s single status (pre Amal) and it’s a much sexier tale. Nobody is writing about the sad, successful single man. So why are they writing about us?

Ladies, it’s time to change the narrative. Let’s tell the story of the successful woman who refused to settle for a man who didn’t deserve her. Or the story of the woman who happily chased all of her dreams everywhere they took her. It’s time we celebrate all of the wonderful things that come with being single in your 30s.

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