Lucy Eaton

the gradual emergence, among professionally beautiful women, of a single, cyborgian face. It’s a young face, of course, with poreless skin and plump, high cheekbones. It has catlike eyes and long, cartoonish lashes; it has a small, neat nose and full, lush lips. It looks at you coyly but blankly, as if its owner has taken half a Klonopin and is... See more

But we should realise that in trying to circumvent pain or awkwardness, you don’t get any of the good stuff either: support; kinship; a village.

Another potential roadblock is overcoming just how shy and socially resistant we’ve become as a society. With so much communication now happening online, our social muscles aren’t flexed as often as they used to be, and a sense of community can feel harder to build IRL. But keeping ourselves open to new opportunities – rather than hiding behind a... See more

Finding a match, I’ve learned, can’t be fast-tracked, no matter how hard technology may try.

To be truly intimate is to be dangerously unarmed . It is to step into a space where your cleverness cannot protect you, where your prettiest metaphors fail, and you are asked not to perform, but to remain. Real intimacy is never slick. It is awkward, raw, and resists the script. It shows up in the unfinished sentences, the tear caught mid-smile,... See more

We blunt romance and passion with this constant calculation of risk, this paranoid scanning for threats, and by holding back to avoid being hurt. We encourage each other to be emotionally absent, unfazed, uncaring. We even call it empowerment! It’s not. It’s neuroticism. I think we are a generation absolutely terrified of getting hurt and doing all... See more

Social media is full of young women warning each other and listing out red flags and reasons why you should dump him or dodge commitment. He compliments you a lot? Love-bombing. Says I miss you too soon?Run. Approaches you in person? Predator. It’s all so cynical. It’s all about how not to catch feelings; ways not to get attached; how “you’re not... See more