Goodbye, Fairytale Romances
Before we dive into the relationships of the millennial age, let’s bid a heart-warming farewell to the fairytale romances we all grew up with. It’s time to gracefully retire Prince Charming, Mr. Darcy, Raj from DDLJ, and Prem from countless movies, and remember them only with a tinge of nostalgia, not as a benchmark of expectation.
The Times They Are A Changin’
Earlier, romantic relationships were mostly binary. People were either single or married. Today, times have changed, and people are exploring their options more than ever. There is a whole wide spectrum open for you to pick from – casual dating, online dating, seriously dating but not committed, committed but not married, friend-zoned, half-girlfriend or half-boyfriend, semi-half or semi-full boyfriend (okay, that we just made up), and more.
On a serious note, after conversations with over 10, 000 couples, we have boiled down to the most common types of romantic relationships that exist today. Many of you would have experienced being in more than one type of relationship mentioned. But, the key is to know that no matter in what way your relationship started it can always lead to a long lasting, loving and committed relationship.
Let’s take a look –
- Marriage – No matter what anyone says people still want to get married. And that’s great as long as it’s not done to check a box off. Marrying for the right reasons is really important for the relationship to succeed. Especially, since marriage is right on the top of the list of committed relationships that exist even now.
- Live-in – A popular choice couples are making today. After all even Supreme Court of India ruled for it in 2005, making live-in relationships legal India. Though in our society there is still a hangover of marriage that looms over this type of a relationship and most couples often find it easier to say that they are married to avoid awkwardness. Like any other relationship with trust, love, confidence, and communication one can make it last forever.
- Girlfriend/Boyfriend – The initial happy burst of being in a committed relationship is felt here the most :). It’s indeed a great phase! A serious romantic relationship with one person. And the couple wants the world to know it. They are comfortable with everyone being aware of their relationship (including parents). The couples go for holidays together and want to spend most of their free time with each other. However, this may or may not lead to marriage.
- Exclusive Dating – In this type, people are enjoying each others company and want to concentrate on having a romantic relationship with just one person. It’s a “we are still trying to figure out our compatibility” stage. People who exclusively date one another are just a step away from ending it or from graduating to the boyfriend/girlfriend phase.
- Non- exclusive Dating – It is the opposite of exclusive dating. People go out on dates with multiple people at the same time. They are not ready for a commitment yet. Though they might be open to the idea of exclusively dating someone if they start liking them more than the others they are dating.
- Committed but only online (never met) – With lines blurring between virtual and real, there are many people who think they are in a committed relationship with someone virtually. This is the most unfulfilling type of romantic relationships – you are really in a relationship with your phone – not a person! It might seem easier, enjoyable and perhaps addictive but only for a limited time. The fact is that you cannot be in a romantic relationship with someone you have never met.
- Fuck Buddy – If you are with a person only and only for sex, that person is your fuck buddy. This type of a relationship is for people who are comfortable with their sexuality and are open about their needs. They are not looking to be emotionally attached to each other romantically.
- Complicated – You may have heard people term their relationship status as ‘It’s complicated’. This is for people who are not sure about the person with whom they are in a romantic relationship. One of them or both people are unable to make a call to be committed to each other. There is a lot of back and forth of being serious and then not wanting to be serious about each other. This pattern is a vicious circle that must be broken for both people to move on.
Imperfection is the new attractive
There is no perfect relationship in real life. So, stop searching for it, instead look for imperfections that attract you. Have you seen ‘Shrek’ ? Kudos to William Steig for writing the story and DreamWorks for producing the movie. Now that’s a tale worth relating to – when you are with the person you truly love, even living in a swamp is like living in a castle!
How many of these relationships have you been in? Know of a romantic relationship not mentioned in this article? Tell us about it in the comments below.
