"Celibacy has had a rebrand," said Refinery29. Previously it was "intertwined with religious ideas of purity and chastity," but now the motives for abstaining from sex are "more varied." "#Celibacy" has tens of thousands of posts on TikTok, said Time Out, while the word "boysober," coined by comedian Hope Woodard to describe abstaining from dating, is gaining traction.Â
The movement is about "keeping your 20s untainted by toxic dating habits and roundabout relationships," said Oliver Keens at The Independent. In the comedian's words, it's about removing the "fake sense of validation that we get from dating and situationships and sleeping around, and refocusing that energy."Â
Various studies suggest that Gen Z and millennials are having "less sex than previous generations," said Refinery 29. And celibacy "persistently returns to the public conversation," said The New York Times. Much of the "current vogue for celibacy" is driven by "disgust with the digital-age dating scene."Â
A recent marketing campaign by dating app Bumble sparked a backlash over slogans including "Thou shalt not give up on dating and become a nun." The negative reaction felt like the "death knell" for "sex-positive feminism," said Arwa Mahdawi at The Guardian. The campaign, which seemingly attempted to "make casual sex great again," did not land well. The "brouhaha," she said, pointed to a "fascinating change in culture." |