As February rolls around, many teenagers may find themselves between two scenarios: a relationship or situationship. To understand the difference between two very similar-sounding ideas, understanding the executions between each stage is essential.
First, a relationship. This stage is a concrete, romantic connection between two individuals, where both partners treat each other with love and respect.
However, a situationship is the grey area between a fully committed relationship and “just friends.” In a situationship, there is no expectation of labels (boyfriend, girlfriend) or commitment (talking to other people).
In a 2017 edition of Cosmopolitan, a popular magazine series known for its dating advice, beauty tips, and the latest fashion trends, writer Carina Hsieh defined a “situationship” as an emotional relationship without the traditional “boy/girlfriend” tag.
Since then, many teens and young adults have taken the word to social media, creating relatable and funny videos with the term.
“A lot of people now fear commitment and putting labels on something with another person, so everyone will just stay in their comfort zone. Even though the media says that situationships suck, people post about it all the time, making it severely normalized, even though it’s a horrible situation to be inside,” said a Senior who declined to say their name out of fear of judgment.
“If a situationship lasts longer than a couple weeks then there’s always one person that is manipulating the other person and doesn’t really care about them and the other person is a push-over sort of like a dog on a leash,” said the Senior.
“Situationships suck especially if you’re the dog because you’re just hoping for an outcome that will most likely not happen. It’s really reflective of dating culture right now, especially because no one wants anything to be that serious.”
In the relationship world one NDB Sophomore was broken up with before Carlmont Homecoming, making it a sudden emotional change.
“I got my heart broken a week before homecoming, he said he had “mood swings” and couldn’t be in a relationship,” said the Sophomore.
“I would never recommend a [situationship] to a single person. I would much rather stay single and work on myself than focusing on someone else.
Meanwhile, at Serra, the feeling resonates with men the same way as it affects women.
One Padre who declined to state his name experienced both situations and finds that one of the biggest challenges in high school relationships is time.
“[In] High School relationships … you’re obligated to so many things, I used to play a sport and get home at 7:30 pm every day and do homework. [So] I didn’t have time to talk to someone.”
According to the Padre, another challenge between situationships and relationships is communication. “Having those kinds of [deep] talks, and being fully transparent about your emotions with someone, that’s what sets it apart [from situationships].”
“When I was in situational relationships, I had no interest in connecting with someone at a deeper level; I was purely interested in the physical benefits of that,” said the Serra Student.
