“They aren’t dating, just talking.” This is a response to the common question of “Are they together” that most adults over 30 wouldn’t understand. But Generation Z has created this term and redefined the entire concept of dating.
One complaint most teenage girls have is that boys talk to multiple girls at the same time. While this does hurt feelings, they are hit with the stone-cold fact that this is “allowed” because they are only just “talking,” not truly dating.
In Vogue India’s Article “What is the ‘talking stage’? It’s the newest form of dating torture”, journalist Jenny Singer investigates the meaning of “talking.”
“The talking stage” is a label apparently coined by Gen Z’ers to describe a maddening, un-defined early stage of many relationships. “The talking stage is kind of like the test run of a situationship,” says Nandini, a 20-year-old college student in Austin.
“It’s this period of developing the feelings before you’re even actually dating.” Isn’t that just…dating? No! It’s the talking stage! “It’s basically doing everything that is required of a relationship without the relationship title,” says Tatyana, a 22-year-old in Tampa.
TikToks flood my FYP [for you page] with text stating that teenagers wish they could have an ” old-fashioned type of love.” My friends and I used to watch these TikToks and agree that teenage boys these days lack the chivalry of men back then. But after consideration, Gen Z love could possibly be for the better.
Dating has become such a formal term in our modern age. If you are dating, you can not see other people, or it’s deemed cheating. Dating in the past definitely held a different rulebook.
While I was binge-watching one of my favorite late ’90s shows about dating, “Sex and the City,” I realized the term has been completely shifted. Dating was seen as a much looser term for involvement with someone. This is the stage of getting to know and figuring out if you would like to commit to a relationship with someone. Talking has truly replaced the old term of dating.
So terms have shifted. What else has?
The change in data has caused one of the biggest fears for women, teenage pregnancy, to decline.
According to the CDC, “The teen pregnancy rate dropped 50% from 1990 to 2010. Reaching a historic low, the teenage pregnancy rate in 2010 was the lowest reported since 1976.”
With more access to sex education, the destigmatization of the act has allowed teenagers to seek more research than before.
As claimed by The Daily Telegraph, Author Ebony Leigh talks about how the sexual script has been rewritten for the new generation. Relationship and intimacy coach, Susie Kim, reveals that teens aren’t in as much of a rush to grow up, mature and get married as millennials are.
The rise in social media has also affected relationships by creating a new way of meeting and communicating with future partners.
“Then there’s obviously the impact of tech and social media which means they [teens] can connect with people online and form friendships, communities and relationships without actually needing physical intimacy. And then I think there is just that discomfort with intimacy and an awkwardness,” Kim said.
The addition of a less intimate option of dating allows Gen Z to value sex less.
“I think that there is just an openness of different forms of connection and intimacy. And that could lead to more considerate choices and potentially less regrets,” Kim said.
One thing that’s clear is Generation Z has changed dating. For the better or worse, that is for you to decide.
