Do you long for the perfect husband, a gorgeous brood, and a busy social calendar with nights out every weekend? Well, then you’ve got your priorities all mixed up.
At least that’s the perspective of a growing number of women across the globe who wear the title of ‘single, child-free, and friend-free’ as a badge of honour.
Where once blurry nights out, a close group of gal pals, and hopes of finding ‘the one’ were the norm, society is now leaning towards an entirely different reality, emphasising solace instead.
Social media has become inundated with women proudly showcasing their status as single individuals, with no friends or social plans, but a solid sleep pattern and skincare routine.
One of them is Lana, who lives in Toronto and makes social media content ‘for the girls who are alone but not lonely’.
Her content, under @lanaisaaa, shows typical evenings as a ‘childfree and single girl who has no friends and lives alone’, which, on Friday, includes having a frozen pizza while watching YouTube in her ‘silent and clean apartment’.
And Lana isn’t alone. Comments that flooded her post included: ‘Literally all you need is a cat. Perfection.’
‘Even watching the video was calming. I know, sometimes living alone will make you shed a quiet tear, but the majority of the time, it is absolute serenity.
Revealing that you have no friends has become a growing trend online, with hundreds of TikTok users, including UK-based Amy Mulligan, pictured, revealing their reasons as to why
‘A large group of friends is so overrated. It exhausts me mentally to nurture friendships. Your life is something to envy.’
According to branding and culture expert Chad Teixeira, the trend lies in the fact that being alone is no longer associated with loneliness, but self-sovereignty.
‘What we’re seeing on TikTok is the rebrand of solitude,’ Teixeira told the Daily Mail, continuing: ‘Previous generations often framed being single, child-free or spending Friday nights alone as something to justify or explain.’
‘Today, it’s positioned as intentional lifestyle design. Platforms like TikTok reward narrative control; so women are reclaiming “opt-outs” (from dating, drinking, motherhood, constant socialising) and presenting them as status choices rather than deficits.’
Over in London, single cleaning influencer Daf, 26, who goes by @homewithdaf, has benefitted from the phenomenon, becoming a sensation on TikTok by sharing insights into her everyday solo life, which often involves cleaning, trips to the supermarket and cooking.
Despite sharing insights into seemingly mundane tasks, Daf’s content has led her to secure over 170 thousand followers.
Meanwhile, UK-based Amy Mulligan danced in a TikTok explaining why she doesn’t have friends, with her reasons including: ‘People get on my nerves’ and ‘I never want to go out’.
Teixeira explained: ‘In a world shaped by burnout, economic pressure and emotional overexposure, privacy and stillness have become aspirational. Being “friend-free for the night” or choosing not to date isn’t loneliness, it’s sovereignty.
TikTok user @athomewithdaf, pictured, has racked up thousands of followers by sharing content of her evenings as a childfree 26-year-old with no friends
‘This also leans neatly with the rise of sobriety, the “clean girl” aesthetic and wellness minimalism. Social currency has shifted from excess to restraint: fewer plans, fewer vices.’
Indeed, alcohol consumption in Britain has plunged 10 per cent since the millennium, with figures from the World Health Organisation showing rates have dipped among all age groups.
The expert continued: ‘Where earlier eras glamourised chaos and constant connection, this generation is signalling self-control, discernment and nervous-system regulation.
‘Posting a quiet night in is performative, yes, but it’s also a rejection of hustle culture and social obligation.
‘For brands and people, this marks a move towards content that celebrates boundaries, inner peace and intentional living. Solitude is no longer a private coping mechanism; it’s a public flex.’
