There’s nothing that invites unsolicited advice quite like being a single woman. To show up at a family reunion is to be drowned in a deluge of dubious dating and life advice from everyone from the aunt you haven’t seen in at least five years, to your great-uncle’s new wife. To mention that you might even be content solo is to raise even more eyebrows. (The nail in the coffin: Statistically speaking, you are literally happier than your partnered cohorts.) Even your coworkers and friends — especially those in long-term relationships — are occasionally wont to offer questionable remarks about your choices.
Even worse, the phenomenon only intensifies as time passes: The amount of unsolicited life and dating advice seems directly proportional to age. My friends have complained about this incessantly, rolling their eyes at the latest offenders. When I asked them to relay the most absurd advice they’ve received recently, their answers were reliably entertaining. Here are a few of my favorites:
-“Be gentle with men. Be like their mom.”
-“Read less to preserve your eyesight.”
-“Don’t use contraceptives unless you want to risk getting cancer.”
-“Observe the relationships around you. After you’ve seen everything that could possibly go wrong, start dating and avoid doing all of those things.”
-“Don’t hesitate to take out loans to support your lifestyle. It’s like free money.”
-“Having a baby will take your mind off of your troubles!”
Readers, what about you? What’s the most ridiculous life advice someone’s offered you, in all your single-ness (past or present)?
To see how one woman deals with unsolicited advice like a champ, tune-in to SMILF on SHOWTIME. The new comedy series follows Bridgette Bird, a 20-something single mom from South Boston. Take a sneak peek today, and catch the premiere on Nov 5th at 10 PM ET/PT.
Angela Wang is a Senior Writer for Studio@Gizmodo.
This post is a sponsored collaboration between SMILF and Studio@Gizmodo.