The desire market bubble: inflated expectations meet reality
The bubble metaphor applied to empowerment: are expectations inflated? An analysis of a debate spanning economics, gender and self-esteem.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
In the economy of desire, one line of thought holds that female empowerment has inflated expectations to the point of creating an unsustainable bubble. The metaphor is clear: if the supply of male attention is abundant, the price — in terms of demands — skyrockets. Yet it is buyers who set the market price, and where there is demand, the value holds.
The debate over digital hypergamy
In online discussion spaces, some argue that many people — regardless of their objective attractiveness — act as if they were at the peak of desirability, backed by a legion of virtual suitors. Against this, others counter that the problem is not empowerment, but a lack of male self-esteem and an oversupply of cheap attention.
The pact of not looking
One hypothesis circulating is the existence of tacit pacts among women to ignore men in social settings, creating an artificial scarcity of attention. According to some, it is a strategy with an expiration date: newer, more liberal generations would break the agreement.
The open question is whether this bubble of expectations will burst on its own over time, or whether the market will readjust through sheer supply and demand. Time — and loneliness statistics — will provide the answer.
The debate over digital hypergamy
In online discussion spaces, some argue that many people — regardless of their objective attractiveness — act as if they were at the peak of desirability, backed by a legion of virtual suitors. Against this, others counter that the problem is not empowerment, but a lack of male self-esteem and an oversupply of cheap attention.
The pact of not looking
One hypothesis circulating is the existence of tacit pacts among women to ignore men in social settings, creating an artificial scarcity of attention. According to some, it is a strategy with an expiration date: newer, more liberal generations would break the agreement.
The open question is whether this bubble of expectations will burst on its own over time, or whether the market will readjust through sheer supply and demand. Time — and loneliness statistics — will provide the answer.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (54 replies).
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