Is Galentine’s Day’s ‘friend first’ mantra bad for single women?

Of course friendships are important, but has the ‘single and proud’ movement stopped young women from admitting how they really feel? For the first time in her life, Chante Joseph admits that ‘owning’ flying solo isn’t always helpful…

Friends first: Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope in ‘Parks and Recreation’ (NBCU/NBCUniversal)

Sitting at dinner with a friend, we slowly made our way between courses, switching topics as we did so. Starters: work and play; mains: family and friends; dessert: relationships and fears. Dating, for both of us, had recently been uninspiring and frustrating.

We compared notes on the lack of suitable candidates and how whenever there was a modicum of interest, our needs seemed to be constantly at odds with what the other person wanted, which put us back to square one.

Our reactions to this, however, were vastly different. While I was refocusing my efforts on embracing a life of solitude, my friend admitted she longed for a relationship. Hearing her admit that, I did what I always did – I became the insufferable independent girl boss who rejected the idea of the “emotional woman” and forced my friend to see things from my perspective.