Create Your “No Less Than This" Folder for Love and Dating
And a little teaser about what’s coming out in the Washington Post
I’m a firm believer in, “it’s easier to be what you can see,” so I made the active choice to fall in love with watching women–especially women who look like me– be in healthy relationships. I have a few examples in my personal life (my mom and Angela Robinson, from OWN’s The Haves and the Have Nots, are prime examples) but I also know that the love I want doesn’t necessarily look exactly like theirs. My mom met Miguel (my stepdad) when I was about 16 years old and he is the life of the party where my mom is very much the, “I’ll only be there if I have to,” kinda lady. Personally, watching her navigate a party is one of my favorite things because it’s always hilarious. While they are happy and healthy and perfect for each other, I don’t think their relationship is exactly what I’m looking for (even though they are my longest-held example of a healthy relationship). So, that begs the question: What am I looking for?
I did what any other modern millennial would do…I opened TikTok. While there’s an abundance of terrible and abusive examples of relationships all over social media, if you hone your search, you can find some lovely and wholesome examples of love at its finest. I chose to make my “No Less Than This” Folder on TikTok after I realized that I was getting inundated with, “you don’t need a man,” and, “look how terrible all men are,” kinds of content and I wanted to diversify the narrative for myself so that I could still believe in love in the age of Andrew Tate and gym bros. Honestly, it’s been very helpful in:
Keeping me focused on what I’m looking for in a partner
Keeping me grounded in knowing that what I want exists in the world
Giving me the space to enjoy other people’s love
Constantly providing me with wholesome content on my FYP
I couldn’t recommend this practice more. Here are a few examples of videos that I have in my “No Less Than This” folder and a quick explanation of why they deserve to be there.