“Exclusive Not Dating” is Everything Wrong With Modern Relationships
Situation-ships seem to have become the standard for dating these days. And we’ve gotten so used to this utter confusion that we allow it.
What does “exclusive not dating” even mean?
Perhaps, it's a fancy way of saying: “We’ll call this exclusive so you’ll feel obligated to give me relationship privileges…but if you call me out for stepping out of line, I’ll say you’re not actually my girlfriend (or boyfriend).”
Yeah. That.
This is how the dating timeline usually goes:
Talking. Seeing each other. Dating — as in, boyfriend-girlfriend. Engaged. Married. (Possibly divorced. In which case, the cycle repeats.)
But these different stages seem to get all jumbled up. Often enough, people will try to get as far along as they can (to get the privileges they want) while staying as far away from commitment as humanly possible.
Hence, phrases like “exclusive not dating.”
Exclusive. A buzzword that excites us all. It means special. Chosen. Set apart from the rest. But are you really exclusive if the person you’re dating insists on keeping one foot out of the door?
