Fox News ran a live segment this week examining the #boysober craze as “cuffing season” begins, noting the viral social-media momentum and commentators weighing in about what it means for young people and relationships. The clip underscored how a once-private decision to pause dating has been elevated into a cultural trend and talking point on national TV.
The movement itself traces back to a Brooklyn comedian who publicly vowed to stop dating and sharing her journey on TikTok, giving the phenomenon a catchy name and a strict set of rules — no apps, no situationships, no casual hookups. What began as one woman’s personal reset quickly spread into a visible, performative lifestyle choice embraced by many young women online.
Reporters and therapists explain the appeal as dating fatigue: endless swiping, ghosting, and commodified intimacy have left a generation exhausted and cynical about traditional courtship, so opting out looks like self-care. Surveys and cultural reporting suggest this is less about moral revival and more about burnout from technology-driven hookup culture and perverse incentives built into the apps.
Meanwhile, fashion and lifestyle outlets have joined the applause, running breathless think pieces that treat singlehood as the new status symbol and even asking if having a boyfriend is embarrassing. When elite media normalize performative celibacy, it doesn’t empower families — it signals that institutions prefer identity trends over steady relationships.
Let’s not pretend this is harmless empowerment — it’s a symptom of a society that increasingly prizes autonomy from commitment and celebrates isolation as virtue. Conservatives should call out the hollow comfort of hashtag movements that make headlines while quietly hollowing out the institutions — marriage, stable households, and generational continuity — that sustain communities and raise children.
Hardworking Americans deserve real solutions, not social-media slogans. Encourage young people to demand better from the dating landscape: accountability from tech platforms, a reclamation of courtship and seriousness about family, and cultural leaders who celebrate commitment instead of fetishizing detachment.
