The coronavirus pandemic sparked a ‘sexodus’.
We were promised an era of roaring, unadulterated post-pandemic fun, but the reality is falling somewhat flat. Writer Lauren Rae explores the great ‘sexodus’ of 2022
TV shows led me to believe there would be plenty of eligible bachelors to choose from at a variety of bars on a Friday night; instead, our new and far pickier selection processes mean that we’re developing the ick before potential partners have even asked us about our chosen vocation. It wasn’t that long before I forgot what other people’s facial features looked like up close rather than on a facetime screen, and I remember longing to feel the small of someone else’s back during a long embrace. The intimacy of a cuddle became a distant memory, and I did not like it at all. I had started to feel trapped rather than free in my apartment, and it would be my mission post-pandemic to touch as many humans as possible once I was released from my rented prison.
According to sex and relationships expert Jemma Joel, there’s a good reason for this. “The pandemic has caused ongoing stress and anxiety for so many people, and even though we’re slowly coming out of it, people are still struggling,” she explains. While our anxieties surrounding dating, sex and relationships have perhaps heightened, our reluctance to get back into a world of ‘sex now and regret later’ is also a participating factor.