The romantic comedies have always been there for us, to provide us with pure escapism from the grim reality we find ourselves in (the text is written in the female language but addresses both sexes: women and homosexuals). During adolescence they promised us a rosy and bright future, when we broke up with our partner they reminded us that there are other juicy fish in the sea and when we entered into long and dreary relationships they sent us into passionate fantasies.
So far everything sounds perfect, doesn’t it? of course not. Haven’t you seen romantic comedies? There is always a plot twist. The romantic comedies did provide us with a warm and pleasant feeling in the stomach for a short moment, but they also gave birth to fantasies and illusions that will give us boxes in the stomach for the rest of our lives. Don’t believe? We have proof of all the unrealistic expectations that romantic comedies have created in us, and they are hiding inside your favorite movies.
If he loves you, he will make an extravagant romantic gesture
The perfect example: 10 Things I Hate About You.
One of the most memorable romantic gesture scenes in movie history is undoubtedly the scene where Patrick, the rebellious-but-secretly-sensitive high school guy (Heath Ledger), decides to make a gesture to win the heart of Kat, the tough-but-secretly- Sensitive (Julia Stiles). He bribes the head of the house to let him use the sports field speakers while Kat is at practice, then breaks into the most romantic song in the universe, “Can’t take my eyes off you” as he breaks into dance steps accompanied by the high school band and points at her. Imagine the disappointment I had when I received a cake for my birthday from my first partner, or my face while receiving a gift card that another partner got from work and left to me during our year’s celebrations (true story). In any case, it is important to remember that even large gestures will not be able to cover up problems in a relationship.
To be successful you need to do a makeover
The perfect example: The Devil Wears Prada
The answer to the question of how they turned Anne Hathaway into a girl who demands a makeover will always remain a mystery to me. But it happened. After a conversation with the office’s gay guy, Andy, aka Anne Hathaway, realizes that she is screwing up big with her tough boss and the only solution to this is to change her appearance. God forbid, don’t work harder. In a fun scene where designer clothes are thrown at her from the magazine’s fashion closet and she is sent to the beauty department (another unrealistic expectation for the collection), she turns into a beautiful swan and enters the new block office to the sounds of a sexy beat. Of course she immediately wins the attention and appreciation of her co-workers, her partner and even the boss. To say that it is an unrealistic expectation to receive respect and appreciation due to external appearance would be a lie in our world. But is the message we want to receive that we cannot move forward in life without totally changing the way we look?
Douchebags can change
The perfect example: The ugly truth
Abby (Katherine Heigl) produces a daily morning show on the local network who is desperate for love and naively believes in it. One day after she returns from another unsuccessful date and turns on the television, she comes across a sexist and misogynistic show hosted by Mike (Gerard Butler), where he claims that men are incapable of feeling love. Abby decides to call him as a listener and agrees with him on his opinions. The next morning she finds out that the station manager brought him in as a backup with a regular corner for her morning show. The two connect following Mike’s offer to help Abby get the neighbor she is interested in. Mike goes through a process in which he realizes that men are indeed capable of falling in love, declares his love for my father and the two fulfill their love. Series of this kind are exactly the ones that created in us the elusive belief that the dosh we have a crush on can change if we only manage to make him fall in love with us. Is it necessary to add that it probably won’t happen, or have we all been targeted enough in the past that we can sum it up with a nod of agreement?
The world is divided into good and bad
The perfect example: Mean Girls
Anyone who was a teenager when the movie Sex Girls came out knows that Regina George is synonymous with evil. Everything in the movie Sex Girls screams good and bad. Even the name of the movie. Cady (that’s Lindsay Lohan) arrives at a new school after being homeschooled for 12 years. On the first day she meets Janice and Damien, they declare that they will be her friends and explain to her everything she needs to know about the school and especially about the plastics, which according to them belong to the royal class – Karen is stupid, Gretchen is rich and gossipy, and “evil wears a human guise in the form of Reg “Jena George”. Of course, later Cady finds herself part of the plastics, faces moral dilemmas and is drawn into intrigues and conspiracies. Sex Girls is a classic example of a film that makes a crude separation between the “good” and the “bad”, a worldview that disrupts our way of thinking and damages our judgment. Everyone has a motive for the way they act and if we don’t use our compassion we may see the world in a flat and distorted way. Who knows, maybe Regina George had parents who didn’t put limits on her? (spoiler: she had)
Don’t worry, the relationship will save you
The perfect example: Pretty Woman
A lonely millionaire meets a street prostitute with a heart of gold, he asks her to accompany him for a few days, during which time she learns to be a socialite who respects herself and enjoys the good life by his side. Despite this, she finds it difficult to devote herself to him because of the wounds of her past and the gaps between them intensify, they decide to separate. But of course in the end love trumps all and the knight in the white limousine quickly returns from the airport (they really didn’t give up any clichés, eh?) and reunites with his beloved with a kiss. It is true that this is a romantic story and fun to watch, especially when it comes to main actors like Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, but the truth is that it strengthens the root of all our gender problems – the thought that a man can appear out of nowhere on his white horse, and save us from ourselves.