oh so single.
Alright- not necessarily certain how I’m going to relate this topic back to design, but it’s kind of heavy on my mind right now, so here goes… So, I’ve recently broken-up with my boyfriend of two years…basically, the second I got back from Sweden. It’s weird how extreme life-experiences can show you what real contentedness is, and that, in turn, shows you how unhappy you were to start with. That basically sums it all up for me. This situation, however, has created a whole other set of circumstances that have served to make other aspects of my life difficult. For instance, the obligatory exchange of personal belongings- complicated by the fact that all of mine were, apparently, discarded. Fantastic, right? Also, the inevitable division of the “friend circle.” Why is it that when a couple breaks up, all of their friends feel forced to do the same? Where is it written that two single people can’t manage to have mutual friends? I sometimes wonder who it was who designed this set of social norms and rules intended to bolster these norms. ‘Boo’ to whomever you are. In Sweden, the concept of a ‘couple’ is so much more loosely defined. Marriage, as an institution, is unnecessary and seldom thought of. Almost all of my classmates lived with their significant other. A few of my Swedish friends have unmarried parents who have cohabitated for nearly 30 years. Here, it is the driving force in life. I have been planning aspects of my wedding day since age 5. Swear to God. Why is that? Why must I feel this pressure to marry and have children instead of pursuing a career and a relationship? 1 in 2 marriages in the US end in divorce. 1 in 2! 50%! Sometimes, I feel like our social values need to be redesigned…
