BREAKING: The @nytimes found dating for women in NYC is so brutal that some dating events are charging women $100 and men $0 and the attendance ratio is still 3:1 women-to-men.

 

BREAKING: The @nytimes found dating for women in NYC is so brutal that some dating events are charging women $100 and men $0 and the attendance ratio is still 3:1 women-to-men. pic.twitter.com/528KWPl5vY

— Short Squeez (@shortsqueeznews) February 23, 2026

The X post you're referring to (from @shortsqueeznews

) claims that The New York Times reported dating in NYC is so tough for women that some events charge women $100 while men pay $0 — and even then, the attendance ratio is still 3 women to 1 man.The attached image shows a group of attractive young women smiling and looking happy (likely a stock photo meant to contrast with the "desperate" narrative).The post has gone quite viral (thousands of likes, hundreds of reposts/quotes/replies), and the replies are mostly sarcastic, mocking, or red-pill flavored:Many joke that the women actually attending look nothing like the photo — instead posting memes or photos implying they're less attractive, overweight, or "Karen"-like.

Others blame liberal politics, high income expectations (e.g., "want a guy making 200k+"), or feminism for driving men away from NYC dating scenes.

Some celebrate it as "female desperation rising" or say no amount of money would make them listen to "retarded liberal girls from NY."

A few claim any woman paying $100 to attend must be "below a 5/10."

From what I can see, there isn't a direct New York Times article matching this exact claim (at least not in recent searchable results — no piece from NYT about $100 women / free men speed-dating events with a 3:1 ratio). It might be a paraphrase, exaggeration, or reference to a broader trend the poster saw mentioned elsewhere (possibly inspired by older dating imbalance stories or Gen Z dating etiquette pieces in NYT).That said, the underlying idea isn't entirely made up:NYC (and many big coastal cities) does have a documented surplus of single women in certain age groups, especially among college-educated professionals in their late 20s to mid-30s.

Speed dating / singles events organizers frequently report women signing up faster than men, sometimes leading to waitlists for women or incentives for men (free/discounted entry, free drinks, etc.).

Some organizers openly run gender-balanced events or cap women to keep ratios even, which indirectly confirms demand imbalance.

So while the specific "$100 women / free men + 3:1" stat might be unverified or sensationalized, the general vibe (women outnumbering men in organized dating events in places like NYC) tracks with real organizer reports and demographic patterns.The post basically taps into a popular online narrative right now: modern dating is "brutal" for women in progressive cities due to perceived mismatches in expectations, politics, or lifestyle. Whether you buy that framing or see it as cope/misogyny depends on your perspective — but it's definitely resonating in certain corners of X. Let me know if you want me to dig into any specific reply or related trend!