Celebrating single life
Brands need to adapt to a changing narrative around being single.
Published by Beyond: Building brands that make a difference™
As the lead-up to Valentine’s Day gathers place, supermarket chillers are suddenly packed with ‘romantic meal deals for two’, greeting card stands strain under the pressure of cards adorned with messages of love, and florists ready themselves for the annual influx of bouquet orders. However, the UK has more single people over the age of 16 than people in relationships. As this single demographic continues to grow, and society shifts its stance on singleness, a cultural change is asking businesses to reconsider how they market to single people.
Over the last year, 31-year-old artist and business strategist, Lainey Molnar has embarked on a mission to empower women, using honest comics across her social media accounts, to cut through all the filters that focus on women's roles in society and the way it perceives them. Covering issues including body image, gender equality, and sexual vulnerability, among many other significant topics, she also calls out societal pressures around people’s marital status.
With the leading message of ‘#YouDoYou’, she accompanied the below image with the caption: “Society’s perceived milestones shouldn’t affect how we view women. I’m 31, single, childfree, all my possessions fit in a few suitcases, and I’m happy. Not TV commercial happy, not lying to myself happy, just at peace with myself, always knowing that everything will eventually be fine, even at the worst of times. I still constantly hear “I hope you find a partner soon”, “You’ll meet him when you least expect it”, “Maybe it’s time to settle down”. Eh. We have the right to choose our lifestyle and not apologize for it, we have the right not to settle for less, we have the right to pick whatever makes us whole, being a white picket fence and three toddlers or backpacking around the world. Don’t let anyone’s rulebook or judgement define you.”