Ah…LOVE. Sweaty palms, butterflies in your stomach, loss of vision. Wait, that sounds more like an alcohol blackout than a romantic experience. Believe me, I know. When was the last time a date gave you butterflies, anyway? That just doesn’t happen anymore, does it? In a world where you can Google someone to find out where they went to school or what musical acts they “like” in 2.1 seconds, does the allure and mystique of romance even exist anymore? And has texting and im’ing ruined our abilities to converse and truly get to know each other?
The New York Times thinks so. Three years ago, the Modern Love column hosted a writing contest which invited college students to tell about their love and dating experiences. To The Times, the responses were “overwhelming and eye opening,” but to someone like myself who is still navigating the modern minefield of dating and often times gets frustrated because of it, I knew what was coming and I wasn’t surprised. Modern dating sucks and everyone knows it. There aren’t any gender rules, casual sex is the norm and if you like someone and let them know, you are the lamest, most unattractive dummy who ever lived. Why don’t you relax… I’m not really looking for anything right now… Calm down.
So, of course The Times wants more. They want your personal stories that depict the current state of love, betrayal and experiences of “dating” in college. The writing contest is accepting submissions till March 31, 2011 and the winning essay will be printed in the Modern Love column on May 1. The winner will also win $1000. For more information, visit Modern Love College Essay Contest.
If you’d like to read some of the best columns from Modern Love, The Times published a book of those collected essays in “Modern Love: 50 True and Extraordinary Tales of Desire, Deceit and Devotion.”
Just don’t give it to your date on Valentine’s Day. Friendly heads-up.
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