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In a piece for Ebony, Ebonie Johnson Cooper asks whether the Clair-and-Cliff, Jada-and-Will and Barack-and-Michelle standard is actually getting in her way.

Like many of my peers, I lived the early part of my twenties anticipating life to be just a few short years away from the Claire & Cliff life. Jada & Will status.Ā  And most recently, Shelly & Barry-game proper. Not long after my heartbreakā€”-the first of many quarter-life crisis earthquakesā€”-I began to consider that perhaps the love life Iā€™d once imagined for myself wasnā€™t realistic.

You see, being attracted to someone is one thing but sharing a passion (or passions) is an entirely different situation. I recognized then, as I still do now, that my passion for the community isn't going to be shared with every man I meet. However, many successful couples I do meet have a connection rooted in something in which they share. Take DJ KISS & DJ MOS for example. I've never met two people whose passion for music literally fuels the love they share. How much more perfect can they be for one another? ā€¦

But is wanting it all preventing me from having anything at all? #pleaserespond

Read Ebonie Johnson Cooper's entire piece at Ebony.

The RootĀ aims to foster and advance conversations about issues relevant to the black Diaspora by presenting a variety of opinions from all perspectives, whether or not those opinions are shared by our editorial staff.