Thoughts from those who have not yet found love

‘Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option.’
Mark Twain

‘Single women are frightening. If you get to 41 as a single man, you’re quite battle-scarred.’
Hugh Grant

‘My baby clock’s not ticking and I don’t have the marriage gene.’
Lucy, 35

‘Quirkyalone stands in opposition to saccharine, archaic notions of romantic love. It stands for self-respect, independent spirit, creativity, true love and confidence. People are hungry for different ways to look at being single. We don’t want the old ideas rammed down our throat, that if you don’t have someone you are socially stigmatised. We don’t want dating turned into a job, feeling the pressure from the online dating industry and speed-dating services that have revved up in the last decade, and the reality dating TV shows where people are desperate to find someone. We don’t want to think we should change in order to be in a relationship and be validated by family or society. So much of our economy is based on encouraging us to buy lipstick and bikini wax so we won’t feel inadequate if we are not in some air-brushed relationship.’
Sasha, 34

‘OK, so I’m single and childless. I don’t need to be pitied (poor woman, she’s probably infertile) or judged (there’s more to life than luxury holidays and Jimmy Choos) or sneered at (too career-minded to settle down). I’m actually quite content with my lot – sorry to disappoint.’
Sharon, 38

‘I stood at the altar clutching my small bouquet and cringed. Whatever possessed my best friend to want to humiliate me on her wedding day by making me wear a Little Bo Peep frock and be her bridesmaid? It’s bad enough being single, but weddings, lovely as they are, do have a way of rubbing salt into the wounds. Having to wear that hideous dress only served to enhance my age and discomfort at being past my sell-by date. Was Natalie thinking that by including me in her big day this would somehow make me feel better, like it was the next best thing to actually getting married?’
Heather, 38