Over the centuries our society has changed the definition of what dating means. In the early 20th century and during World War II dating was about long-term friendships, love, marriage and families. Beth Bailey's essay “Dating as Competition” illustrates how dating has changed dramatically over time, turning dating into a competition. He argues that dating nowadays is about popularity, competition and no longer has a moral meaning and how men and women tend to want to be seen with people who will improve their image. In society, many people build their reputation and popularity through cars, clothes, membership in fraternities and sororities, and money. Being seen with someone who is equally popular with the same materialistic things will only increase your popularity. Through my experiences and observations I agree that dating has changed and no longer has meaning because people date for the wrong reasons. I have seen many of my friends dating to improve their appearance. Many actors and actresses I admire marry or date other famous people so they can prove to social media that their life is nothing but perfect. Not only are they rich and famous, but they also want to marry or date someone who is idolized by many just like them. Which also increases their personal image. Even social websites on the Internet are now being designed to find mates that match their popularity. Therefore appointments have changed and no longer have the same meaning they had in the early years. As a teenager I watched many of my friends get into many relationships, including myself. We are teenagers and we tend not to know exactly what we want. One day one of my friends caught my attention and I started asking questions and wondering about her… middle of paper… them. They want to be seen with the person who makes them look their best, such as my good friend who dated someone to win prom queen. Dating now defeats the purpose of true love. Many people think that Kim Kardashian, the most beautiful model in our country, and the best rapper Kanye West are happily in love and married, but in reality they constantly argue and are not happy with each other. They are married to each other for the wrong reasons. The media idolizes them as this couple they hope to become one day because they are both what many people dream of being rich and famous. Beth Bailey also describes how many people in our society care too much about the materialistic things they have rather than what is important and valuable to find in someone. Therefore this supports the fact that dating is now a competition and a representation of someone's self-image.