Is It Bad That “Netflix and Chill” Is the Millennial Date Night Slogan?

It’s Friday night. You frantically poll your girlfriends on different outfit choices; something cute…but nothing that is trying too hard. You skip your Holy Grail dry shampoo and decide to put in the extra effort to actually wash your hair. You swallow down those nervous butterflies as you answer your door. It is date night!

To us romantics, date night is the time to develop a meaningful foundation to a relationship all while making googly eyes to your date across the shared strawberry milkshake.

However, it now seems that there is no room for romance in the 21^st century. Being a Millennial woman, I have seen firsthand how the dating culture has shifted, and I am not a fan!

It’s Friday night. You grab your favorite leggings and throw your hair into a messy bun. It is 10 p.m. as you jump into your car. By 10:30 p.m. you are sprawled out on the couch with The Office playing in the background, “Netflix and Chill” is in full action. It is date night?

Since when did “Netflix and Chill” become the millennial dating slogan? Who approved this? I worry that with this newfound dating culture, millennial relationships are getting a bad rap..

The “Netflix and Chill” movement promotes casual dating and hook ups. It is now considered an ideal date night to sit and binge a Netflix show while fooling around.  These types of dates involve absolutely no planning or commitment. While binging Prison Break, there is no downtime to discuss your values, desires or hobbies. How can I talk about my aversion to birds while hooking up and keeping up with my favorite show? Eliminating the “getting to know you” part of date night can make the road to a relationship extra long and extra bumpy.

It makes sense that the millennial dating mantra is “Netflix and Chill.” Just take a look at the binge-worthy shows being created nowadays. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, shows such as Sex and the City and Friends gave young girls like me hope! The plotlines all centered on love and the endless search of finding “the one.” Shows today like Girls and Broad City center around hookups and finding the “one for now.” How can we spruce up date nights when the media is covered with anti-commitment propaganda?

It is now becoming status quo to stay single. The binge worthy shows that are airing now equate being single to being free. This sense of freedom fuels the desire to stay unattached and casual. Date nights involving leaving the safety and comfort of the home are more uncommon. The “Netflix and Chill” movement has claimed date night.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with having a date night in every now and again. Being able to be cozy in bed while watching TV is amazing…but definitely not for a first date.

Think back to the beginning of a relationship. Every touch feels like electricity, every word you hang on to and every new experience with that person is forever etched into your memories. A budding relationship is such a magical thing. It saddens me that people are now willing to settle for a lukewarm “Netflix and Chill” date. Dating should be fun, new and exciting. Having cable and high speed internet should not be a turn on.

This new dating slogan is having a negative impact on millennial relationships. This easy, last minute date night alludes to the lack of commitment “we” have with plans and relationships. Baby boomers already blame us for destroying chain restaurants; I don’t want to be blamed next for destroying romance!

“Netflix and Chill” may currently be the millennial dating slogan, but hopefully this will change. This date night culture is a bad representation of what relationships should be and how dates are executed. Millennials have been brainwashed with TV media that encourages the single life and rejects commitment. Maybe if we bring back an old fashion date night, this generation will be more open to romance and long-term relationships.

Next Friday night, spice up your routine and plan a fun new experience to take your date on. Leave the “Netflix and Chill” at home.