Just May singles would welcome a traditional long-term romantic relationship, but they don’t feel incomplete in the meantime. These ‘hopeful romantics’ won’t feel regret if they are unable to connect with the right person. Jollibee, the fast-food chain in the Philippines (akin to McDonalds), represented a Just May as part of its yearly Valentine’s Day series. In ‘Status’, a young woman fails to find love, but realizes that she has a lot of love in her life – from her family.
A small but growing number of Solos are seeking unconventional relationships, whether casual or long term. However, for New Way singles, the outcome will differ in some notable way from a traditional long-term relationship. Perhaps the person wants casual dating only (eg, ‘friends with benefits’), wants something non-monogamous, (eg, open relationship, polyamory), or doesn’t want to merge lives with a partner (eg, live apart together).
Singles approach their dating with two potential goals: people seeking love and people seeking lust. Dating apps, such as Hinge, Match, and Coffee Meets Bagel, target the former. OKCupid, on the other hand, targets people with a broader array of goals and orientations. Rather than focusing on ‘Finding Your Forever’ the app also targets people ‘Finding Your For-Now’. Their successful campaign celebrates dating lustfully, even giving the NSFW acronym DTF [Down To F*ck] a cheeky twist (i.e., Down to Floss Together, Down to Furiously Make Out).