Young women are reclaiming cuffing season in the name of friendship as the American political landscape and social media influencers shift toward more traditional gender norms and expectations.
According to a new Cuffing Season Survey by Yuzu, a social media platform targeted at Asian users, Gen Z women aren’t looking for love as the months grow colder and the holidays approach. 60% of Gen Z women are actively looking for platonic friendships during cuffing season, per the report.
A 2023 Pew Research research found that about half (49%) of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 believe that making friends is more difficult now than it was in the past. According to the survey, 44% of women between the ages of 18 and 29 reported having four or more close friends, compared to 29% of males. This indicates that young women are more likely than young men to sustain many close friendships.
Although the economy and the pandemic have had an affect on how this generation dates, Gen Zers claim that their preference for friendships over committed partnerships is ultimately a conscious decision.
The pandemic ruined the high school, college, and first work experiences of Gen Z, a generation that is frequently where people meet their prospective spouses. As a former CNN intern, Sara Forastieri Vicente said, “Despite the difficulty in finding a partner because of these circumstances, many of us, myself included, are refraining from commitment by choice one made somewhat out of fear but mostly to prioritize self-care and existing interpersonal relationships.”
Social media has labeled the months leading up to the end of the year as “cuffing season,” when single people search for a companion to spend the holidays with, or feel pressured to do so.
According to Yuzu’s survey, Gen Z women are changing and defying conventional societal norms.
66.7% of Gen Z women who responded to the study stated that they place an equal or higher priority on friendships than on romantic relationships. According to an October AUCLA study, strong friendships influence young adults who are single’s happiness and are linked to improved physical health and reduced depression.
Although each of these metrics was significant, friendship satisfaction was the most crucial. According to a study by happiness researcher Lisa Walsh, young singles who were extremely content with their connections were more likely to feel content with their lives in general.
Men are not expected to appreciate friendships as much as young women do. According to Yuzu, just 41.9% of Gen Z men stated that they value friendships as much as or more than romantic relationships. This finding is consistent with other studies that have shown that men are becoming more and more lonely. Six out of ten males under 30 are unmarried, which is twice as common as it is for women in their age bracket, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center study. Furthermore, one out of four men claim to have no close pals.
According to Angelica Ferrara, a social psychologist at Stanford University and the author of Men Without Men, which will be released in the spring of 2025, men’s expectations and preconceptions prevent them from forming these intimate platonic bonds.
According to Ferrara, the traits that patriarchal masculinity values are incompatible with what men most need in order to succeed.
According to a 2021 Survey Center on American Life survey, only 27% of males today report having at least six close friends, down from 55% in 1990. Additionally, 15% of men report having no close friendships at all, which is a fivefold rise from 1990, according to the survey.
Online forums, podcast hosts, and actual elected officials have fostered this loneliness by promoting ideologies that blame women and reinforce the idea that males are not the issue. Young men are getting radicalized due to the influence of red pill ideology, which portrays extremism as a manifestation of masculinity and manosphere culture, which is fueled by antifeminist online forums.
After going through a terrible breakup or being cheated on, some people found the red pill enticing. The ideological view that women are predisposed to cheat or manipulate men is one way to explain such difficult personal experiences.The author of a 2023 study on the manosphere and deradicalization is Joshua Thorburn.
Women are moving further away from dating as males like Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump, who will soon occupy the most influential positions in our nation, support these views.
4B comes to America
Women are defying social norms to date and get married while young American men grow increasingly conservative.
The 4B movement gained popularity on American social media following the 2024 election results. In reaction to violence against women in Korea, the feminist South Korean movement 4B demands that there be no heterosexual marriage, childbearing, dating, or sexual partnerships.
Women in America It is time to embrace the 4B movement and take a cue from the Koreans.In actuality, women everywhere ought to embrace the 4b movement.You have my whole attention.pic.twitter.com/WxfqxouAn1
American women have demanded that the 4B movement be expanded to the United States. Ritu Khan, a 24-year-old data analyst, told Teen Vogues that she urges women to go one step further and avoid places like pubs and clubs where women are practically a free commodity for males.
Women may have a significant influence on the economy and use that influence to pressure the government to enact our demands, such reviving Roe v. Wade. According to Khan in November, “because this industry depends heavily on women, it is an act of protest to not be in attendance and disrupt their revenue.”
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!
+ There are no comments
Add yours