How COVID-19 Has Shaped the Way Relationships Start, Grow—And End – 5280 | The Denver Magazine
The pandemic surfaced all manner of interpersonal problems for Coloradans—some they didn’t even know they had.
•
When the whole world went into isolation, Lauren Anderson experienced it twofold. Her one-and-a-half year relationship ended in mid-February, and she moved out on her own, just in time for bars, restaurants, and gyms—the holy trinity of potential meet-cute locations—to shut down.
The only place to find someone new to date—and to help her heal from her heartache—was on dating apps, like Hinge and Bumble. At first, it worked. Swiping left or right was almost fun for the 25-year-old. Plus, it was a virus-free way to interact with prospective partners. But the giddiness dissipated after discussing who she’d met online with her friends: “There’s like seven single guys in Boulder,” Anderson says, and they had sent the same exact messages to each of her friends. Furthermore, being relegated to texting, Zoom, and a few awkward socially distant dates began to affect the way she saw herself in the mirror. She says she remembers asking a friend: Do I need to get lip injections or what’s the deal?
YY Wei is not surprised about the tribulations singles experience in isolation. As the founder and director of the Source…
