Your whole family is meeting at your aunt’s house for her annual Christmas Eve dinner. You’re excited to catch up with family, joke with cousins you haven’t seen in a whole year and, most of all, grub on all of your auntie’s signature holiday dishes. But there’s one thing that’s concerning you…you’re single this year…again!
Tired of being bugged by pesky family members about your love life at holiday parties? Well, the Internet has provided a solution once again.
There are several websites dedicated to matching singles with a companion for those specific high-anxiety events like big family dinners, holiday office parties, class reunions, weddings and anywhere you feel pressured to arrive with an actual “plus 1.” And these websites, such as Rent-a-Bae, Rent a Gent, MissTravel and Rent a Friend, advertise companions—NOT escorts—for hire, which makes it less sketchy, right?
You may have even seen several social media posts over the Thanksgiving holiday of men taking the concept on independently, sharing a photo of themselves with the list of “packages,” such as:
- “I’ll show up as your date in exchange for gas money and a to-go plate.”
- “Will be your date to Thanksgiving for $100 an hour, includes laughing at your dad’s jokes, playing at babies, flirting with your grandma and making up the fake story of how we met.”
Okay, all jokes aside, could this be a thing for real? And the real question is, would you try it?
Before you share your answers in the comments below, I just have three other solutions you should consider before renting a bae for your next holiday gathering:
Do YOU!
Is the thought of being around family while single dreadful to the point that you have to make up something? Renting a date to pretend to be your boo or significant other sounds more like a movie plot than a real life scenario with your family and guests acting as the audience in your show.
We all have that one relative that drives us up the wall every year with questions about an ex or our current relationship status. A rented date would provide all the answers that inquisitive kin has to ask you, which should be a stress relief because that borrowed bae would help you keep up appearances.
But I believe there is a better option. Living unapologetically single means that you’re not concerned about what your family, friends or colleagues have to say about your status. You know what you want, and you’re not settling for less, even if that means you have one more holiday party to attend on your own this year. Just because you’re not meeting someone else’s expectations for your life doesn’t mean that you should be ashamed of being single to the point that you have to go to extreme measures.
Bring a REAL friend
It may be funny to some, but at the end of the day the concept of renting a bae is basically hiring someone to lie to your family. It’s an odd transaction that takes away from the genuine experience of celebrating the holiday with your family or friends.
All evening you’ll be too busy trying to focus on your lie. Furthermore, once you lie about that date, you have to keep the façade going, and it can blow up in your face, which leads to more prying questions and shade from your folks. Who wants to go through that?
Don’t block your blessing trying to manufacture something outside of God’s timing. Why not invite a good friend—male or female? Formulate a plan with your friend, so he or she can swoop in to divert the “single” conversation to another topic. Or better yet, allow that friend to praise you, declaring how happy, successful and well-off you are without a significant other in your life; sometimes it’s more convincing to those nosy family members when it comes from someone else.
Do something else
Life is bigger than having a boo, bae or significant other; we know this. If showing up single is simply unbearable, then there are plenty of alternatives to getting harassed by family members .
You could, for instance, spend time with friends or church family, attend an event with a meetup group or even attend a cultural event and meet new people. Plus, you never know, your sheer honesty about being single but ready for dating can open up new opportunities in the new year, no deadlines required.
So with all of this in mind, make the decision to become your best for future relationships instead of “renting” what we really deserve to have. Save the money, embrace where you are this year and determine in your heart to receive the possibilities for the next season—no strings attached.
Hey BMWK family, would you rent a bae for your next holiday event? Why or why not?