Meet Generation Z's emergency matchmaker. Me
My name is Jenna and I'm here to help. Yes, I've always wanted to be a matchmaker. Turns out that Generation Z is in urgent need. News this week that those beleaguered kids, born alongside their parents' phone addiction, aren't getting any. Love, that is. Just over half of Gen Z adults are in a relationship compared with two-thirds of Millennials, three-quarters of Gen Xers and nearly all of us Boomers. OK, 80 per cent.
So I plan to set up a matchmaking service in which the only bit you can do online is the email as the first point of contact. The rest? Your raw animal magnetism unleashed. Bit of a wash, bit of a lesson in how to ask questions and listen (called conversation in the olden days), actual foreplay (we may get to that a little bit later. See what I did there?).
When I was a girl reporter, I interviewed a spectacular woman called Yvonne Allen. She was a full-time matchmaker, incredibly busy. And I loved her approach. She knew perfection was a ridiculous goal. Just before she retired – after decades in the business and hundreds of successful relationships hatched – she told the Australian Financial Review: 'We have reached a crisis state: look at the millions and millions of people who are out there saying, 'Not for me, not for me', just by looking at a photo. If you meet somebody who you enjoyed meeting, but you don't think there is likely to be a spark, that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep seeing them. The spark is often the distraction. It's a lovely thing to let simmer.'
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We need more simmering and fewer instant noodles. I'm sure unHinged, Binder and Kinda are just fine but the reflex to swipe is so ingrained, one tiny thing could just put you off. It's not like buying a hoodie, people. There's a human being on the other side of that screen, just waiting for love or at least a consensual cuddle.
So why not get a human involved? Me, for instance. I even have a name for my new business. Want to meet progressive soulmates? Try Keeper Left, a new matchmaking service for those looking for love. Or at least a shag with a person who – absolutely, definitely – doesn't want to choke you. Some 2017 research from the University of Saskatchewan found both matchmakers and clients found less alienation and greater human and emotional dimensions in matchmaking as compared with other dating methods. 'Matchmaking can be understood as a backlash in response to the rootlessness inherent in … liquid modernity.' Rootlessness being the operative word here.
Natalie Giannoukos was once Yvonne Allen's head matchmaker and now she has her own place: ONA Matchmaking. She blames what we all blame; the superficiality of social media, everybody is way too fussy, too particular.
'Online dating is trying to find out everything in five minutes … it's tick-a-box.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
14 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Meet Generation Z's emergency matchmaker. Me
It turns out that I may indeed end up having a third career. Journalist. Academic. And now? My name is Jenna and I'm here to help. Yes, I've always wanted to be a matchmaker. Turns out that Generation Z is in urgent need. News this week that those beleaguered kids, born alongside their parents' phone addiction, aren't getting any. Love, that is. Just over half of Gen Z adults are in a relationship compared with two-thirds of Millennials, three-quarters of Gen Xers and nearly all of us Boomers. OK, 80 per cent. So I plan to set up a matchmaking service in which the only bit you can do online is the email as the first point of contact. The rest? Your raw animal magnetism unleashed. Bit of a wash, bit of a lesson in how to ask questions and listen (called conversation in the olden days), actual foreplay (we may get to that a little bit later. See what I did there?). When I was a girl reporter, I interviewed a spectacular woman called Yvonne Allen. She was a full-time matchmaker, incredibly busy. And I loved her approach. She knew perfection was a ridiculous goal. Just before she retired – after decades in the business and hundreds of successful relationships hatched – she told the Australian Financial Review: 'We have reached a crisis state: look at the millions and millions of people who are out there saying, 'Not for me, not for me', just by looking at a photo. If you meet somebody who you enjoyed meeting, but you don't think there is likely to be a spark, that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep seeing them. The spark is often the distraction. It's a lovely thing to let simmer.' Loading We need more simmering and fewer instant noodles. I'm sure unHinged, Binder and Kinda are just fine but the reflex to swipe is so ingrained, one tiny thing could just put you off. It's not like buying a hoodie, people. There's a human being on the other side of that screen, just waiting for love or at least a consensual cuddle. So why not get a human involved? Me, for instance. I even have a name for my new business. Want to meet progressive soulmates? Try Keeper Left, a new matchmaking service for those looking for love. Or at least a shag with a person who – absolutely, definitely – doesn't want to choke you. Some 2017 research from the University of Saskatchewan found both matchmakers and clients found less alienation and greater human and emotional dimensions in matchmaking as compared with other dating methods. 'Matchmaking can be understood as a backlash in response to the rootlessness inherent in … liquid modernity.' Rootlessness being the operative word here. Natalie Giannoukos was once Yvonne Allen's head matchmaker and now she has her own place: ONA Matchmaking. She blames what we all blame; the superficiality of social media, everybody is way too fussy, too particular. 'Online dating is trying to find out everything in five minutes … it's tick-a-box.'
The Age
14 hours ago
- The Age
Meet Generation Z's emergency matchmaker. Me
It turns out that I may indeed end up having a third career. Journalist. Academic. And now? My name is Jenna and I'm here to help. Yes, I've always wanted to be a matchmaker. Turns out that Generation Z is in urgent need. News this week that those beleaguered kids, born alongside their parents' phone addiction, aren't getting any. Love, that is. Just over half of Gen Z adults are in a relationship compared with two-thirds of Millennials, three-quarters of Gen Xers and nearly all of us Boomers. OK, 80 per cent. So I plan to set up a matchmaking service in which the only bit you can do online is the email as the first point of contact. The rest? Your raw animal magnetism unleashed. Bit of a wash, bit of a lesson in how to ask questions and listen (called conversation in the olden days), actual foreplay (we may get to that a little bit later. See what I did there?). When I was a girl reporter, I interviewed a spectacular woman called Yvonne Allen. She was a full-time matchmaker, incredibly busy. And I loved her approach. She knew perfection was a ridiculous goal. Just before she retired – after decades in the business and hundreds of successful relationships hatched – she told the Australian Financial Review: 'We have reached a crisis state: look at the millions and millions of people who are out there saying, 'Not for me, not for me', just by looking at a photo. If you meet somebody who you enjoyed meeting, but you don't think there is likely to be a spark, that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep seeing them. The spark is often the distraction. It's a lovely thing to let simmer.' Loading We need more simmering and fewer instant noodles. I'm sure unHinged, Binder and Kinda are just fine but the reflex to swipe is so ingrained, one tiny thing could just put you off. It's not like buying a hoodie, people. There's a human being on the other side of that screen, just waiting for love or at least a consensual cuddle. So why not get a human involved? Me, for instance. I even have a name for my new business. Want to meet progressive soulmates? Try Keeper Left, a new matchmaking service for those looking for love. Or at least a shag with a person who – absolutely, definitely – doesn't want to choke you. Some 2017 research from the University of Saskatchewan found both matchmakers and clients found less alienation and greater human and emotional dimensions in matchmaking as compared with other dating methods. 'Matchmaking can be understood as a backlash in response to the rootlessness inherent in … liquid modernity.' Rootlessness being the operative word here. Natalie Giannoukos was once Yvonne Allen's head matchmaker and now she has her own place: ONA Matchmaking. She blames what we all blame; the superficiality of social media, everybody is way too fussy, too particular. 'Online dating is trying to find out everything in five minutes … it's tick-a-box.'
AU Financial Review
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- AU Financial Review
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