I was sent home with a pair of nylon compression socks, and my sexual hiatus commenced. I spent the ensuing weeks unencumbered by Hinge admin, spending time with friends instead of on formulaic dates culminating in weekday hangovers.
As it turned out, my recovery guidelines were culturally apropos: medically mandated or not, celibacy was having a moment. No sex, no childbirth and no heterosexual relationships of any kind.
But although celibacy is often an intentional or political choice, my friends and I are more likely to slip into periods of abstinence after a spate of underwhelming dates.
Indeed, a collective sex dearth was reported among young people long before celibacy-mania ensued. And I get why. Modern dating β particularly online dating β often feels like a high-stakes, low-reward undertaking.
And although plenty of women enjoy hook-ups for what they are, a lot of us, myself included, have sex in the hope that it might lead to something more. But women are also being deterred from sex with men by something thornier. It feels like every time we open our phones, another formerly beloved male star has been accused of sexual violence.
