Society and the Single Girl: Is Tinder The Only Way?

Recently, I was complaining to Gabu about not being in a relationship. Gabu, who is in a committed relationship, said to get a Tinder because it was the best way to meet guys pretty much, get dates and therefore get into a relationship.
My question is, is it really the only way? Are the days of actually meeting someone in person now forever gone, replaced by an app that's on a smart phone? Yes, Tinder is great for meeting people, perhaps people that you probably otherwise would have never met. But, it's just showing me people, and adding some skepticism. After all, how do I know that they are an actual person, not a Catfish? Or, better yet, how do I know that they don't want to kill me?
Statistics show that people who met online have a better chance of making it. But, has this become the only way to meet people? I would like to think that's not the case, however, more and more people are meeting each other on Tinder. Look at Gabu and their partner. They met on Tinder, and are extremely committed.
I'd like to think this about Tinder. It's a good tool to have in your toolbox if you're seeking a partner, however, it shouldn't be the only one that you use. Tinder's great because it exposes you to a bunch of people who you probably wouldn't have met otherwise. But, we shouldn't be using it as our only avenue to date people. I think there's cute guys everywhere, and you never really know who you're going to end up with. You could meet someone on Tinder. You can meet someone who was in your class, and fell in love. You can also meet someone at work, someone at church, and in the strangest of places. Just because you're on Tinder doesn't mean that you're going to get dates. It just means you're taking the first step to meet new people. It shouldn't shut you off from meeting people offline, because there's so many people around you that could be perfect for you. You just have to really look and really be open to taking risks. (The same goes for Tinder, I suppose.)
So, Gabu, I'm going to have to say that Tinder isn't the only way to meet people. I guess we're going to have to agree to disagree. 

Society and the Single Girl: Why I Now Understand Dear John Letters

I've dealt with so much rejection that I can probably write the book about "How Not to Deal With Rejection: A Memoir on Why I'm Going to Die in the Company of Cats." However, I never thought I would be the person that would be the one doing a rejection myself.
I met this guy in a class last semester, and I thought he wasn't that bad. He was kind of cute, and liked Star Wars. All pluses, so why not?
Therefore, I decided to get to know him by hanging out with him. It was then I learned that I probably shouldn't spend much time with him because we're totally different. Sure, I could be his friend, but I know that it's not going to span much further than that. And that's fine.
However, I think that he enjoyed spending time with me, much more than I could have ever imagined. So, now he hangs out with me whenever he sees me in the student center, and all I want is for him to go away. Yes, I know I sound like a bitch. Last week, I got a friend to pretend that she's in crisis mode. I don't think that I can use this excuse again, and I know he's interested in hanging out again.
While I don't want to be rude, I just don't want to spend more time with him. Honestly, I'm not good at being honest. (See what I did there) Instead, I dodge what I'm feeling as if it were a bullet, and hope it doesn't catch up with me. The thing about the truth is that sometimes it hurts, and I don't want to be the cause of someone else's hurt feelings.
I wish I can write a "Dear John" letter. That way, I can have the best of both worlds: being honest and not having to deal with the consequences of doing so. But how do you write a break up letter to someone you've only hung out with once?
You've got me.
If you have any advice for how to let someone down gently, please send it my way. 

Society and the Single Girl: Celebrate Love, Celebrate You

Recently, I saw this article on Elite Daily called "We Should Praise a Women's Professional Life as Much as Her Romantic One." The article was insightful, well written and something that I couldn't agree more on. If you want the Sparknotes version of the article, pretty much it's an intelligent young woman's views on how weddings are more celebrated than a woman's professional accomplishments. 

I've personally noticed this especially on social media. I can even give you a personal example of this, if you all are curious. A few weeks ago, thanks to my job at the Hamden Journal, I got the opportunity to get backstage access to my town's Kansas concert. This opportunity included getting a chance to interview a band member, as well as other members of the Kansas team. Needless to say, I shared the experience on social media. I expected to be rolling in the likes, however, I was disappointed to see I had only received a few. It was then I realized if the post had been about getting into a new relationship, or about celebrating a relationship milestone, I would have received three or four times the amount of praise on social media. 

This is sad in my opinion. I have friends that are in relationships. Some believe they have found "the one" while others still aren't sure. I've noticed that whenever they post things, on Instagram or Facebook they are basically raking in the likes. As much as I like to see a cute couple, shouldn't we also work on focusing on a woman's professional accomplishments? 

At 21, I would say that I'm working harder than ever to get as much journalism experience as I can. I scored a job as a freelancer for the Hamden Journal, a Style Guru for College Fashionista and of course I have a blog with about 29,000 views. However, I still don't have much of a romantic life, nor do I have a significant other to brag about on social media. Furthermore, as my list of accomplishments gets longer and longer, there's one thing that still remains to be a void in my life. The fact that I don't have a partner or boyfriend. 

My question here is why do we feel like we need to have a boyfriend or partner in order to feel like we're something in life. Is it what we are programmed to think? It sucks that women aren't considered successful unless they have a relationship and a man to come home to. It's 2015, not 1955. Women are lady bosses and women have done big things. It shouldn't matter nor should they feel like they are incomplete unless they have a partner. 

I think we should celebrate and 'like' all accomplishments whether it's a new boyfriend, a promotion or writing the front page story in a paper. There's more to life than having a boyfriend. I just wish that the rest of society viewed cute couples the same as success. 

Society and the Single Girl On Doing Whatever You Want

It seems like society and everyone in the world we live in likes to put labels on well, just about everything. These include but are not limited to: gender, relationship, sexual history and even people without getting a chance to even get to know them. (i.e. calling someone names such as "slut", "virgin," and "dyke."
Label cans, not people.
I've read somewhere in a magazine about a woman who was ashamed to tell the guy she was seeing that she was a virgin. Yet, I've also read about people who have judged others based on their sexual history or clothing. If you do it or don't do, either way you can't win. You can't be too innocent but you also can't be too promiscuous. So, what does that mean exactly?
I'll tell you what it means exactly. Do whatever the hell you want and don't care about what others may think about you.
I'm going to get all personal here and reveal I'm in fact a virgin. While I will keep my experiences with men private on my blog, I do have no shame in revealing that. I am a virgin simply because I choose so. I haven't felt ready to have sex, so I am not going to until I feel like I'm ready. I could wake up tomorrow and decide I am. I'm not, but at the end of the day it's my decision to make. When I'm ready, I will do it. Having a ring on my finger or if someone justifies having it isn't going to go into in my decision.
So listen up if you've had sex, never had sex or are thinking about having sex. No matter what you do, you do you. At the end of the day, everything you do is just that-up to you.
The funny thing about our culture is there will always be someone who will always have something to say about whatever you're doing. There's always going to be someone to critique you, and there will always be someone to make you feel bad about your decisions. Whether you are Jill Duggar or Kim Kardashian, people are going to talk about you.
The key in life is to blast Taylor Swift while doing whatever the hell you want.