Dear Editor,
In the “Ask Miss Molly” section, published by The Mirror on November 20, 2013, Miss Molly proposed the top 12 reasons why it’s okay to be single. In response, I would like to propose a new perspective:
The Top 12 Reasons Why it’s Okay to be in a Relationship (Or Anything I Damn Well Please)
12. Because I shave my legs whenever the hell I want. After being in a two-year relationship, I’ve never once felt obligated to shave my legs when I didn’t feel like it. My body is my business and respect for it is non-negotiable.
11. Because no one should be a slave to their phone. Healthy relationships require face-to-face time, but college students will always text regardless of whether they are in a relationship. I mean, Miss Molly, wouldn’t you text your friends if you had a superb bagel?
10. Because I have plenty of funny stories to tell, and fortunately, many are genuine enough that they didn’t begin with a cocktail on a Friday night. Last weekend my boyfriend danced around Stamford train station in my stilettos at 1 a.m. Enough said.
9. Because I do my own laundry anyway, and relationships are a mutual give-and-take. Since when do relationships come with a free laundry service? Maybe if you’re aiming to perpetuate negative female stereotypes. If my boyfriend helps me do my laundry, then I will be sure to help him with his. Relationships are about companionship.
8. Because relationships are exciting enough that you don’t feel the need to flirt with strangers. Now you have someone to flirt with 24/7 who will always be receptive and won’t ignore you the next day.
7. Because I look the same now as when I began dating. I have never felt the need to keep my hair always highlighted, my lips glossed, and my workout plan strict. I looked, well … normal, when my boyfriend first asked me out. Perhaps that says even more than going through all the motions that Miss Molly describes.
6. Because you learn about strength both in and out of relationships. I’ve realized my own personal strength through facing issues as a couple that I would’ve never faced while single. If anything, my individual growth has flourished alongside someone else.
5. Because I can do whatever I want. I have never, and will never, let a man tell me what to do. My boyfriend doesn’t care whether I am “going to the bar on a Tuesday, dancing around in an oversized t-shirt to Brittany Spears or accidentally finishing a bottle of wine and bag of Hershey kisses while watching ‘Sex and the City,” because not all guys are controlling and manipulative.
4. Because I have high standards. I never chose to be in a serious relationship until I found someone who had everything I wanted in a partner. Your relationship status has no connection to whether you have high standards.
3. Because I enjoy investing in someone who brings me happiness, and I still have money for all the things I want. I’d rather have a meaningful Christmas present than a Frappuccino. I would never “waste” money on a person who’s important to me.
2. Because although you do risk getting your heart broken, that may be one of the greatest risks to take. There’s no telling where a college relationship will lead, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth your time. It’s silly to assume that people in relationships aren’t living life to the fullest because they’re not hooking up. Who said that this is the way college is “supposed” to be experienced, anyway?
1. Because the best is yet to come, and it doesn’t matter which path you take to get there. Single or dating, no one is doing anything wrong by following their heart and making their best judgment. Neither is the “better route” as long as you are happy. Take it from someone who has experienced both routes.
Sincerely,
Tori Ready ‘14
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