Mondays and Wednesdays use to be another ordinary day, but now they have become free access cards into peoples “private” bedrooms. PDA use to refer to couples showing public displays of affection in actual real life public places. But these days, PDA has taken on a new infinite form of being. We are now forced to see the imitate moments of strangers and friends whether we like it or not. Public displays of affection are now left to linger forever on our time lines and cell phones. How could something that used to happen spontaneously and naturally between couples, now be publically turned into a systematic calculated display of “love”? With every, #MCM (Man Crush Monday) & #WCW (Woman Crush Wednesday), one begins to wonder if love can still be as pure if everyone has a piece of your relationship?
Have all the weekly updates, become too much? Or has all the pandemonium on having a #BAE , caused our generation to think that you’re not “winning” if don’t have a BEY & JAY” type relationship? The daily reinforced notions of societies standards of love have caused our generation to become walking hallmark cards and constantly post photos of #LifeGoals and #RelationshipGoals.
The truth of the matter is, everyone can’t be JAY and BEY or KIM and YE. Not many couples will be able to make money off their relationships by posting their significant others.
We do not need to be reminded every week on the status of your relationship. We are not dating them, you are. We don’t want to see the birth mark on your boyfriend’s lower back. We don’t want to see your girlfriend’s freckles on her inner thigh. Some things are just meant to be left between you and him. By the way we don’t read the long dissertations you write under your relationship posts. LOL Most people just want to know that you are in a happy and healthy relationship. People are not really interested in everything else. Or are we? * Inserts emoji eyes*
On Mondays and Wednesdays, we sit back and watch the show begin. With ex-lovers double tapping, interested prospects commenting and family members and friends supporting. One begins to wonder how many people are in the relationship.
Ultimately the question is, does PDA mean more when it is spontaneously done in public or is PDA more meaningful when posted on the Internet for the whole world to see. All we know is we are still trying to figure this out our damn selves. But just know that you will never find any Public Displays of Affection on our social media pages, unless he puts a ring on it. Aha!
#Thoughts ?
417 Comments
I agree with almost everything you wrote! Especially the question that you posed “is it pure if everyone has a piece of your relationship?”
I’m uncomfortable with PDA personally but that doesn’t keep me from understanding why people partake in it.
I don’t see the entire problem in posting moments of your life and if that includes moments with “bae” then so it be. So many young ladies would want a man that would scream his love at the top of a rooftop to complete strangers, to prove to her how true his feelings for her are. It just happens to be that now a days that public display is that perfectly edited picture and that carefully written caption, the people that can hear/see that display of affection are what we now call our followers, the strangers. It’s a way to show others “hey this one here is mine” but with that one must keep in mind that it opens your relationship up to everyone and if you are willing to put your relationship through that constant criticism and spectacle then so be it. People also have to stop thinking that they are bigger then what they are, not every one is hating lol some of us are genuinely happy for you or don’t care.
There’s always the option of making your page private and controlling the amount of followers you have.
Now for me, it would take a long time for me to feel even remotely comfortable in posting any photo of someone significant in my life and when I did it would surely not be a picture of the birthmark on his lower back. Some things should be just for my eyes only lol
This blog post was absolutely amazing! You ladies are absolutely amazing! I do think that we live in a society that places so much emphasis on relationships but instead of focusing on having someone to actually build a future with, many of us just want to be able to post cute pictures on Instagram for their exes, our exes, and our friends to see. Ironically enough though, everyone is so stuck on “keeping things private because I don’t want everyone in my business” yet all of their business is on Instagram. Like you said, it’s not just a picture, a lot of the time there’s a long 4 page letter as the picture caption that I’m sure would mean so much more if it’s just between the two people within the relationship. Anyway, I have lots of thoughts lol but I don’t want to talk too much.
P.S. I love you sis 🙂
I think this post was beautiful. I have been single since high school because that was the only relationship I have counted as being a REAL one and ever since, I have looked at my peers and how they have blasted their relationships in every way possible. I really think this generation prides themselves on displaying their personal life on social media because it gives them a chance to show how fulfilling their life seems to be along with the ability to make themselves look better. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but as you stated, it’s not necessary to see all these things every single time. I am a fan of PDA, but it does not have to be excessive at the same time. If I did have a relationship, I would it mind it being on le gram lol, but I would control how much the public sees of us. Half the stuff that is seen is literally just for show as well. Half of these celebrity relationships are not even real. They’re cheating behind closed doors and all of that. I guess it’s just a preference thing at the end of the day!
So, I am cracking up the entire time while reading this, as if I’m having a conversation with you!
But this is soooooo true, Social media has now allowed people to over-exploit their relationships, sometimes without one’s consent. It has become a competition of who can capture the most appealing “candid” on Instagram that is usually staged anyway. But that’s none of my business, so anyway…
In our society, there is so much pressure for young couples to appear to have it all together. They overemphasize the perception of their relationship yet neglect the reality. And while it’s great to celebrate and want to display your beau, it should be done with taste. It’s not because people are salty. People will hate, whether someone is single, married, blue, or green. But don’t give people the opportunity to put in their two cents either. Less is more.
Continue breaking barriers. You both never cease to amaze me. Love you!