Riding the merry-go-round* is when a woman seeks to secure a handsome, perhaps wealthy,
emotionally unavailable man ("Chad"*) in an attempt to improve
social standing (hypergamy), gets dumped, and then she tries again, repeating the cycle. She never learns, all while ignoring guys she has friend-zoned.
After perpetually riding the merry-go-round, the woman
eventually finds herself past the flower of her youth, single, and whining on TikTok videos about how "there aren't any good men".
*terms often used by men's advice YouTubers "33 Secrets" and "Entrepreneurs in Cars".