The power of being your own SO

WOMEN’S HEALTH MAGAZINE

How to feel truly happy as a single person in a world that worships pairs? Just ask the growing number of women embracing the new ‘self-partnering’ trend and enjoying the kind of freedom they only dreamed about...

Just when we finally got used to the idea of ‘conscious uncoupling’ as a quasi-legit way of talking about divorce (thanks GP, it only took us six years), everyone’s now moved on to ‘self-partnered’ as the term of choice to describe single life. It all started when actress Emma Watson told the world last November she wasn’t dating anyone and was totally fine with it. “It took me a long time, but I’m very happy. I call it being ‘self-partnered’,” the 29-year-old revealed to British Vogue. But unlike that other celeb-coined relationship term, it’s easy to see why this idea caught on quickly: in a world where #couplegoals reign supreme, learning to be your own ride or die could have major benefits for your happiness levels.

Author Chidera Eggerue is in. (Fun fact: if her name sounds familiar, that’s because she founded the #saggyboobsmatter online campaign.) After a long run of “romantic attachments to men who were never prepared to love me properly”, the 25-year-old took a year off dating to build a relationship with herself.

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