THE economy was booming, the word Brexit didn’t exist, and romance in the early noughties was a piece of piss too. Here’s what partners didn’t have to faff about with back then.
Relentless f**king messaging
Not everyone had a phone back then, so you weren’t expected to bombard your significant other with romantic messages or a string of sexual emojis every waking moment. Even if you had a mobile, rates were so pricey that people kept their emotions to themselves, thank God.
Social media
The internet was still predominantly the domain of the military and sci-fi obsessed weirdos, meaning that couples didn’t have to construct an elaborate lie about how amazing their relationship was for friends and family to ‘like’. Although you couldn’t see if your ex’s life had gone to shit, so it’s swings and roundabouts.
Dating apps
Before dating apps we could kid ourselves that there weren’t plenty more fish in the sea, so being single was just bad luck. Now though, even couples are curious to see if there are any hotties in their area, so you’ve got the pressure of being a good boyfriend/girlfriend in case your partner goes off with one of thousands of potential online shags.
Mobile phone distractions
However average-looking or dull you were, you could still get your partner’s attention because there simply wasn’t much else going on and most TVs still only picked up five channels. These days your significant other will reach for their phone for a quick scroll before agreeing to have sex.
Taking mawkish selfies
Posing for awkward photos together used to mean getting some hapless passer-by to snap you with a disposable camera then waiting weeks for the blurred images to be developed, so people rarely bothered. Now you’re considered weird if you go for a walk with your partner and don’t record it as if it’s a key historical event like the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.
