That’s an interesting term to call it. The ick. I think it’s pretty widespread now. Seems like a lot of younger women have never developed an interest in dating at all over the last decade.

I have a couple of thoughts here. First, the decline of social functions as a means for dating to develop organically has led to dating becoming more of a quest one either fails or succeeds at and something that has become manipulatively strategic as the norm. This is not healthy and it’s clear it’s not a reproductive strategy that works overall or long term for civilization.

Secondly, at least from the perspective of women, I think many of us have been operating with the belief that equality would be a given once we proved we deserved it and earned our place; that men would gladly and willingly make space, be glad of our presence, be happy to not be forced into the man box and burdened with having to be a provider (a dynamic they constantly bemoan), and reciprocate by participating in domestic concerns. So that was clearly naive and delusionally optimistic. It’s not like most of us didn’t realize there would be a backlash either, there always is. I think maybe a lot of us are shell shocked at how widespread, deep, and disturbing that misogynistic backlash is. It’s causing a reevaluation in how we see men, to what degree we want them in our lives, or if we want them in our lives at all.