FEELD PRESENTS STATE OF DATING VOL. III

words by MAREK BARTEK

Feeld’s latest ‘State of Dating’ report isn’t about tips, trends, or dating hacks. Rather it centres around dismantling the way we’ve been taught to love—and who gets to decide what love should look like.

The focus is Relationship Anarchy (RA). Not a buzzword, but a growing relationship model that challenges the default setting of romantic love as the end-all. The report, created with sex educator and author Ruby Rare, digs into how RA is helping people feel more connected, less isolated, and more in control of their emotional lives.

Looking at the numbers, half of Feeld Members say they practice or have practiced RA—many without even knowing the term. Among non-users, it’s one in five. Awareness is highest among Gen Z, LGBTQIA+ communities, and those already exploring ethical non-monogamy. These aren’t niche communities anymore. They’re shaping what’s next.

To clear any confusion, RA isn’t about having more partners. It’s about intention. RA rejects the idea that one person should meet every need. It breaks the hierarchy that places romantic relationships above all others—above friendship, above family, above self. Instead, people build their relationships around mutual care, consent, and shared values.

It’s not always smooth. The data shows RA practitioners struggle more with boundaries—Feeld users in RA relationships report a 536% increase in boundary-setting challenges compared to others. But they also report more meaningful support systems, better emotional connection, and a stronger sense of freedom in how they build relationships.

All of it points back to the same issue: we’re lonelier than ever. The report opens with the reality: Gen Z is lonelier than any generation before it. The rise of dating apps, the pressure to perform intimacy, and the narrow focus on romantic love haven’t helped. RA doesn’t fix loneliness overnight—but it gives people more tools to build what they actually need.

There’s a shift happening. People are ditching the rulebook, they’re choosing depth over default, and RA is part of that shift. It doesn’t demand that everyone change their relationship structure—but it does ask better questions. Why do we rank relationships? What happens when we stop?

Ruby Rare puts it simply: “There’s no relationship blueprint etched in stone.” You design what works for you.

Rare’s report shows people are already rewriting the way they connect—inside and outside the app. Relationship Anarchy isn’t about rejecting love, but about expanding it. It gives people language for what they’ve already been feeling: that intimacy can live in many forms, and that emotional connection isn’t limited to one structure, and is built to last. Feeld reflects that shift. Its community is made up of people exploring relationships built on care, consent, and intention.

As Feeld’s CEO Ana Kirova puts it, “People overlook the beauty of a connection—the things they could learn about themselves through others. That destination mindset doesn’t serve us. We’re here to create space for something deeper.”