Is Gen Z 'Boysobering'? All You Need To Know About The New Relationship Trend

Do you often feel that you’re not giving yourself the priority and self-care you need? Do you frequently rely on your partner for emotional support and get frustrated when it’s not available? Have you ever felt the urge to take a break from online dating or dating in real life because it becomes overwhelming and tiresome? If your answer is yes, you’re not alone. Many young people, especially those in their twenties, feel emotionally exhausted from “too much dating” both online and offline

Gen Z is currently ruling the dating scenario in society and their relationship trend seems to have taken a turn. These days, a new trend is on the rise among all who are fed up with modern dating, called ‘boysober.’

The term boysober, as per The Independent, was first used by a female American comedian named Hope Woodard. The trend actually calls for not dating in your twenties. Boysobering, according to Hope, keeps you away from toxic dating habits and meaningless relationships. In her words, it’s about removing the “fake sense of validation that we get from dating and situationships and sleeping around, and refocusing that energy”.

Simply put, being boysober refers to a year-long decision to abstain from all things related to dating, in the name of “self-care.”

Hope explains that while the term might imply that it only caters to women, it actually is gender neutral. “It encourages all young single people to take a break from not only dating and the situationships resulting from it but also from exes, toxic relationships and hook-ups. A boysober year gives space to reflect, heal, and focus on what one wants next,” Woodard told The Independent.

S the term also emphasises the exclusion of sex for a year, it might get confused with celibacy, warns Hope. She explained that the concept of boysober is different from celibacy. “Boysober has become entwined with notions of celibacy – something more often associated with religious prohibition. But I think that’s a misguided view. People going boysober don’t have the desire to be celibate. The real message here is surely that a significant number of people resonate with the idea that dating young men specifically can be as bad for you as alcoholism,” she adds.