It is a whole new year and the dating prospects are even better. Thanks to the previous year, people who are single and ready to mingle have learnt a lot about how dating has completely changed. There are terms and there are certain ways in which one could easily say that dating is a whole lot different than how it used to be.
People now know the difference between what they should expect out of dating someone and what they should definitely reject. All of this has been nicely segregated into red and green flags. Which is how it should have been, right?
For years, men and women have dated the wrong ones for years and ignored all the wrong signs and now things have been even more simplified. However, what is the dating trend in this new year of 2023 and what are people looking for? Several dating trends have come in and gone in the past years and there is nothing wrong with being updated.
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One of the major trends that were seen in the year 2022 was the first virtual dates. That’s right. With the pandemic taking over and most people meeting via dating apps, it was one of the things that were definitely a hit. This is not just us, Ravi Mittal, the Founder, and CEO of India’s homegrown dating app QuackQuack mentioned how “almost 22% of our 21 million users have had a virtual first date this 2022.”
The dating app surveyed 15,000 users, ranging between 25 to 35 from tier 1 and 2 cities to know what people are looking forward to in the year 2023 when it comes to dating as well:
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People don’t feel shy talking about sex
Sex has always been taboo and when it comes to the initial stages of dating, it can definitely be a nerve-wracking thing to talk about. Or is it? People nowadays are talking about their sexual desires and what they like much more openly than how they used to before. When it comes to intimacy, people aren’t shying from talking about what they desire in the initial stages themselves. As per the survey, “19% of daters, men and women between 28 and 32, explain how new-age daters are approaching sex, intimacy, and dating in a more open and exploratory way.” Even the people who aren’t comfortable talking about it aren’t judged by others.
Toxic masculinity and gender bias may become a thing of the past
Ever heard of the term modern masculinity? Well, it is basically when men are learning and being aware of the fact that toxic masculinity is not something they should be proud of. In fact, as per the survey, “34% of men from tier 1 and 2 cities expressed how they have taken the time to examine their conduct and found how they were projecting toxic masculine behaviour involuntarily.” Isn’t that great? Men are learning to break all those stereotypes that they can’t talk about their feelings or that they can’t cry. In fact, the dating world will be seeing men breaking gender roles and expressing their emotions.
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People are not shying away from long-distance relationships
We have all known and learnt how long distance is painful. In fact, people used to run far away from long-distance relationships no matter how good they may turn out to be. However, after the pandemic, things have changed drastically. People are now looking to move beyond their city walls and try to explore people from different cultures and cities. “QuackQuack’s survey shows 3 out of 7 daters between 25 and 30 prefer to wander love.” This basically means that not only do people want to travel a lot post the lockdown, but they are open to looking for love while travelling or while they are out of their city. Long-distance love that will make you travel to different cities is a major trend hitting in 2023.
Daters want to go beyond their typical ‘type’
We all have a certain kind of people we get attracted to the most. While some like jocks, some like businessmen and some end up liking musicians. However, as per the survey, “almost 29% of women over 30 explained how women are all set to look beyond the type
of men they are expected to date.” This term is known as open-casting. Basically, single people are ready to become experimental and are open to looking for love beyond their typical preference.
There is going to be a love-life balance
Terms such as burnout due to working continuously and not giving time to oneself and relationships are something that the new generation has been doing a lot. But people are now understanding how mental health and relationships are as important as work. As per QuackQuack’s survey, “22% of daters
from tier 1 cities disclosed that job titles are no longer a status symbol, and young daters are
more focused on maintaining a healthy work-life balance. People are consciously making time
for their partners and taking more breaks for their own mental health. 12% of these people even
revealed unmatching with someone for their demanding job and hectic schedule.”
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Looks like a lot of ideologies are bound to change this year and dating is going to be a whole lot more fun. Where the prevalence of dating apps is concerned, this trend is surely here to stay this year as well.