Gen-X People Found Love In 4 Old-Fashioned Ways That Are Sadly Disappearing With Younger Generations
Emre Akyol | Canva When Gen-X was at its peak of dating, things were different. That's the way life goes. The only constant is change. Usually, society seeks to change for the better, as dating traditions from the Boomer and Gen-X era have adapted to become more open, inclusive, and accepting of others' uniqueness. But some Gen-X dating traditions we miss and look fondly upon, too, despite Gen-Z's reluctance to embrace them.
Gen-X people found love in old-fashioned ways that have sadly disappeared with younger folks:
1. Gen-X embraced the thrill of the chase
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Life and relationship coach Siddharth S. Kumaar knows about the added thrill of waiting for a call, wondering about the next meeting, or gently changing a person's character over time. However, younger generations routinely meet possible mates online ahead of time these days, therefore lessening the sense of surprise.
2. They met people randomly in bars
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Therapist Gloria Brame observes that Gen-X daters tended to focus on finding a spouse or life partner in real-life locations like a bar, club, or through mutual friends. Gen-Z, however, has a more casual and flexible dating style. They never knew a time without the Internet. That makes them very comfortable having long online relationships before meeting. Texting is a comfort zone for them, and Gen-Z is overall far less marriage-minded than Gen-X. Casual relationships and hook-ups are a fairly standard part of their dating lives, although even that's on the downturn for the youth now.
3. Gen-X believed in a rom-com type of love
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Senior editor and Gen-X astrologer Aria Gmitter says that Gen-X grew up believing in instant chemistry and romantic love, which was often exhibited in the popular romantic comedies of the day. The honeymoon period became the definition of love instead of love being the development of a deeper, yet less exciting love that lasts. Television, music, literature, and Hollywood idols taught us romantic love makes the world go round — but younger generations now know that myth is untrue, and see compatibility in values, politics, money habits, and common sense as more crucial to long-term love.
4. Gen-X called someone to set up a date
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I'm a geriatric Millennial, and texting was still in its early stages when Gen-Xers and people like me dated, explains deputy editor Andrea Zimmerman. We texted with people we liked, of course, but we knew someone was serious about us if they picked up the phone and called us to make a date.
There's a certain level of effort that goes into working up the nerve to dial someone's number (remember ringtones?) and having to speak to them one-on-one using your voice that's lost with texting. The casual text takes so little effort, and let's not even mention the dangers of the copy-and-paste button. I'm Team Phone forever, and it makes me sad that it's a bit of a lost art for generations who, ironically, are on their phones all the time.
Will Curtis is a creator, editor, and activist who has spent the last decade working remotely.
