Love from fairy tales has been idolized since the beginning of time. No matter what age group you ask, there would be a general consensus that what’s seen in romance books and plastered all over the internet is the ideal relationship for most. Why, then, is there such a disconnect between the older and younger generations when it comes to romance?
When asking someone in the older generation about current teenage romance, they tend to have very condescending opinions on how they perceive love. You may hear things like “Well when I was your age…” or “You can’t possibly be in love at such a young age.”
These outlooks are only damaging to young people’s perception on how they’re supposed to express their love when there is a major difference between how both generations were raised.
Looking back at early Gen X, Boomers and so on, they were faced with many challenges that aren’t as prominent during today’s day and age.
Women during those times were treated very differently and expected to look after a family. They had severely limited job opportunities in comparison to now, which impacted the choices they made during their everyday lives.
“In 1950s America, many women conformed to the role of a happy homemaker,” according to study.com.
This shift over the years has happened gradually, but because it was the household standard only a handful of decades ago, it impacts how the older generations feel in their relationships.
There were many rigid expectations for how a household should run. The ideal scenario involved a husband and wife, 2.5 children, that beloved white picket fence, and a fluffy family pet to tie it together. Although there are still people in younger generations that may be interested in pursuing this ideal, it is no longer common.
One of the most prominent factors in teenage love today is how independent these relationships tend to be. While looking for a healthy and stable connection, one thing many people in this generation need is to feel the freedom to have their own separate lives from their partners.
Getting married and settling down at an early age is no longer the dream. People wish to explore the world and grow as individuals before committing to another person, to simply have that title.

While many elderly couples are still just as in love as they were when they were teens, they were limited in their ability to find a partner.
Now with the rise in technology, online dating is a very fast growing service. While some may scoff at the thought, it is a very useful tool to meet people you would’ve never even known had existed if you stayed cooped up in your hometown your whole life.
“Online dating has helped people not only to support others… across the globe but also to establish a casual or serious connection,” online dating expert Amy Orlando stated.
A common argument against the idea of online dating is that it’s easy for users to put on a persona that is untrue to who they are. But what a lot of people don’t take into consideration is that being behind a screen isn’t the only way this can happen.
While modern love may seem very different from how it was experienced in the past, it shouldn’t be looked down upon by the older generations.