On Tuesday 3rd October, you might've seen people tweeting with the hashtag #NationalBoyfriendDay. You also might've noticed a lot of their tweets weren't about their boyfriends. They're about BTS, One Direction, and other imaginary boyfriends. They're also about the joys of being single and not having anyone but yourself to celebrate the occasion with.
Oh, and someone paid tribute to her fingers.
While these tweets were mostly in jest, they do make a point: Our culture promotes the idea that being in a relationship is better than being single, when in reality, that really depends on who you are and what you want. Many people prefer the freedom of being single (or being in a "relationship" with pizza) to dating someone at various times in their lives.
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Days like National Boyfriend Day and National Girlfriend Day (which apparently takes place on 1st August) can remind single people of the myths associated with singlehood: that they're not happy, that they're not living life to the fullest, and that their relationship status is the result of shortcomings on their part.
Fortunately, people on Twitter aren't buying into these myths. Instead, they're taking the opportunity to celebrate their singlehood.
Gay af but I’m here for these boys #NationalBoyfriendDay pic.twitter.com/HjzBdcc9HL
— Queen Sara (@MsRoyalVloggerr) October 3, 2017
My mom is like: You're 20, get yourself a boyfriend for God's sake
— Army Family ? (@Army_Family09) October 3, 2017
Me: I already have 7 ?#NationalBoyfriendDay @BTS_twt pic.twitter.com/5NdE3TDvXb
happy #nationalboyfriendday to myself
— Baby Ariel (@BabyAriel) October 3, 2017
Happy #NationalBoyfriendDay pic.twitter.com/5cHNJAiuQ5
— Barbara Dunkelman (@bdunkelman) October 3, 2017
For what it's worth, there actually is a National Singles Day, which takes place on 23rd September — and an entire National Singles Week to go along with it. Social psychologist Bella DePaulo, PhD writes in Psychology Today that this week serves not just to make single people feel better about themselves but also to combat discrimination against single people in housing and other areas.
Of course, there's nothing wrong with people genuinely celebrating National Boyfriend Day. But it's also great that single people are showing that they're just as happy as those in relationships — and expressing that happiness in creative, cute, and hilarious ways.
Happy #nationalboyfriendday !! pic.twitter.com/FmuMtxiOjV
— Catalina Selman (@CatSelman1) October 3, 2017
It’s #NationalBoyfriendDay! I hope I have been good to you. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/01uCzdnYAp
— Graser10 (@Graser10) October 3, 2017
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