So So Gay
Chris Nelson looks into the New Year rush for a new boyfriend and asks why we do it.
January is a month of reflection. We’ve all been there, staring at ourselves in the mirror secretly wishing that we hadn’t devoured that whole Terry’s Chocolate Orange, packet of Minstrels and millionaires cheesecake in a matter of hours over the festive season. Likened to the great gym sign up, the great search for a boyfriend also rears its ugly head come the New Year.
So why do we do it? Lets not lie about this, January is a cold month and we’d all rather be saving on the heating bills and sharing our bed with someone aesthetically hot. Deeper than that though, I think it’s because the new year provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the year just passed. It allows us to learn from our mistakes, our wrong doings and shambolic ways. We all move forward with the hope of better things, better experiences and a better love life. For the last two years I’ve been straight on the hunt. However, the worst thing for me is that I don’t even know why and cannot even justify it to myself. Of course, the search has been to no avail, which could say slightly more about me.
Sadly, we all fall foul of thinking the grass is greener on the other side. With rose tinted glasses we see that life would be better for us with a boyfriend and I think this is the only true explanation behind the mass of January dates up and down the country.
They say that you’ll never find a boyfriend when you’re looking for it. However, with the amount of people fresh on the look out for love, it seems that January is your perfect opportunity. Coupled with the fact that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, this provides you with a fresh occasion to cement your new love interest a month later.
Unlike Google, you may not find what you’re looking for so easily and readily available: the boyfriend search can still be a challenge. Simply put, it’s not as easy as going up to someone, explaining that you’re both single and making a go of it. The dating etiquette and rules attached must not be forgotten. The whole process can only be likened to that of a game of Poker, with someone having a much stronger hand than the other.
How long can the search last? The beauty in this is that the search can last exactly as long as you want it to. Personally speaking, as the nights draw longer and the taste of summer reacquaints itself with your lips, the desire and commitment for a boyfriend tends to melt away. Once summer is here, we lose ourselves in the beautiful sunshine, days in the park, the cocktails and nights that never end. Of course this may not be
You can of course look for a potential mate anywhere: on the tube, at work, in a bar or using a dating platform. The main thing to remember is not to create a list of’ must have’s’ most comparable to that of the features you would look for in a new mobile phone. Of course, everybody has their sights set on ‘Mr Perfect’ and we can always dream, just don’t be unrealistic.
