No one can deny the nostalgia surrounding the lifelong connections manifested in the middle of fourth-period Spanish or second-period English. From twitter to television, high school nostalgia lives in every source of media we know, cementing desire for nostalgic experiences and relationships in the students of today. By now, most current highschool students have been indoctrinated into thinking they need a high school sweetheart by movies such as To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and 16 Candles. What most people do not consider, is that a high school romance is now considered mandatory. Instead of worrying about whether their friendships will last the trials of senior year and beyond, teens are obsessed over whether their situationship can last through the talking stage and bloom into an actual relationship. 

There is nothing wrong with wanting a relationship in high school.  The problem stands with how teens idolize relationships. Many people equate their self-worth to whether they can “bag a baddie” or not, and the desperation to check that box has devolved to the point that even two people in a talking stage “counts”. In reality, that checkbox is not that deep. 

To complete this idea of  “pulling” someone, the ideology behind creating this ideal high school experience is to become the ideal high school student. In order to become this, students must fall into stereotypes. Whether it means being a stereotypical jock, preppy but mean cheerleader, or the nerd who loves everything comic related, students will try their best to fulfill these stereotypes or embody them. All of this is done to ensure they can get into a relationship and create that future nostalgia for themselves.

Not being in a relationship in high school does not make you less of a high schooler . The pressure that other high schoolers give each other to be in a relationship leads to people rushing into relationships just so they can say they are together. Part of the expectation is that they will find “the one” in high school. The harsh truth is that relationships in high school lack the maturity to last leading to the inevitable messy breakup. The cycle continues as one of them becomes hooked on the next person, hyper-focusing on how they look and changing their own hobbies to make themselves more appealing to their potential paramore.

Maintaining this mindset serves only to perpetuate this cycle.. No one bothers to realize that while yes, being in a relationship is nice, it is okay to not be in a relationship. Not finding anyone interesting romantically does not make your high school experience any less exciting. You should not equate your self-worth to whether you can get into a relationship before the year ends or make yourself look better solely for getting a new boyfriend or girlfriend. Bettering yourself should be on the basis of self-improvement, not because some random person will find you slightly interesting.