Single And Thriving: Meet South Korean YouTuber Seen Aromi And Her Singlehood (image-Instagram/sinaromii)
In rural South Korea, a 37-year-old YouTuber called Seen Aromi is making waves with her vocal advocacy of single life and the joys it brings to her 200,000 YouTube followers.
Apart from being a YouTuber, Aromi is also a published author. Her book, I Can’t Help But Live Well On My Own, speaks of the simple pleasures of defying societal norms and leading a solo life, free from the pressures of a marital relationship and the many responsibilities it brings along.
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She writes of the “freedom to be lazy as I want” without receiving any form of criticism for it.
Notably, her home country, South Korea, faces the world’s lowest birth rate and an ageing population. The country recorded a low total fertility rate of 0.72 in 2023. The reason behind the declining numbers? High costs of housing, education, and long working hours compel couples, especially women, to delay childbirth or choose not to have children altogether.
Moreover, cultural factors such as the country’s disapproval of single parenthood, not recognising same-sex marriage, and a high number of married women leaving the workforce also contribute significantly to the low birth rates.
In such a climate, Aromi’s ideas might resonate with many. “They say it’s a ‘disaster’ that women are not having children in South Korea. But when I think about the potential downsides of not having children, [for me], there is nothing,” she said.
The YouTuber also highlights the different reasons why people might choose not to marry, for instance, choosing not to meet anyone simply because one enjoys lying around.
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“I’ve never worked for a big conglomerate, do not live in the city, and have never been married,” she states, rejecting the traditional indicators of ‘success.’ However, Aromi has lived the conventional life, or at least has tried to.
After working several jobs abroad, such as housekeeping and packing meat in a chicken factory, she returned to South Korea and renovated an old family house belonging to her late grandfather. Now she resides on the rural side and makes YouTube videos on several topics ranging from fitness to travelling to living by herself.
Now, she earns more than her monthly salary in Seoul and is happy living her adventurous life, which is her top priority.
Like she told AFP, “Not getting married is my [her] greatest achievement.”
