I wasn’t sure if my stylist was playing around or actually being serious, but his question certainly got me thinking. “I don’t think I’m too demanding,” I began hesitantly.

“He should be loyal, kind and considerate. It would be great if he’s able to communicate well and maintain a sense of humour. Being rich isn’t important to me, but knowing how to handle money is an absolute must. And of course, I hope it’s not too much to ask if I’d like him to be good looking and to have a sense of style…” You get the gist.

On and on I went, until the sound of the hairdryer drowned out my voice at the part where I was specifying that the man should be prepared to eat the egg yolks from my fried and hard boiled eggs, because I dislike cooked yolks. A year and a half later, and – surprise, surprise – the search for Mr Right continues. I’m alright with that; I don’t spend sleepless nights worrying where he is, even if I’m conscious that there may well be a time when I do become aware of nasty little concepts like shelf life, the ticking biological clock, and “Time`s winged chariot hurrying near” (thanks, Andrew Marvell).

What made me sit up, though, was that at the time of researching this piece, writer and journalist Kate Bolick published an article entitled “All the Single Ladies” in which she highlighted the decline of marriage in America and increasing difficulty that women are beginning to encounter in finding a suitable and available match due to a variety of socio-economic reasons.

It was not – I repeat, not – a scaremongering article. It was reasoned, well thought out and blamed no-one, but her suggestion that an increasing number of women may end up never marrying all, faced with the option of partnering a ‘deadbeat’ or chasing a ‘playboy’, made me wonder whether I should take a pre-emptive look at my own dating strategy and the choices that might be presented to me in the future. To wait for Mr Right or settle for Mr Alright? Is this any different from being caught between a rock and a hard place?