Romantic comedies, also known as rom-coms, have always been a go-to comfort genre for movie lovers. They follow humorous characters who find their dream person and fall madly in love. These movies highlight grand gestures and the belief in a love that conquers all. While they share a message of hope for love, they often romanticize harmful concepts. According to thehollyspirit.org, rom-coms have been known to show harmful stereotypes and outdated gender roles, which can influence inaccurate views of people or groups. In the end, causing discrimination and bias toward people with certain attributes.
Recent rom-com television shows such as “The Summer I Turned Pretty” and “My Life with the Walter Boys” have glamorized cheating, drug use and drinking. These series both feature female protagonists who fall in love with two brothers and create conflict in the family. The shows present the characters making immoral choices and receiving close to no consequences. Glorifying these detrimental activities leads to the normalization of destructive behaviors and encourages risky actions.
Iris Newman (9) loves watching the movie “Clueless” but thinks rom-coms can also show bad traits.
“I think that rom-coms do sometimes romanticize the wrong things. I think they should definitely focus on showing more ‘green flag’ traits that would be something to look for in real life. I think this would be more beneficial for younger girls to see the positive, good traits and what they should be looking for, rather than the negative traits that these movies show. I can also see that the movies do involve a lot of dishonesty, a lot of the time,” Newman said.
However, not all messages shown in rom-coms are harmful. The classic “enemies to lovers” rom-com “10 Things I Hate About You” portrays the importance of being oneself and standing up for what one believes in. The happy endings in rom-coms are uplifting and create an optimistic view on love.
Lilly Gibbs (11) has always enjoyed the lightheartedness of romantic comedies.
“I think rom-coms are a fan favorite because people are able to relate to the characters and the situations they are in,” Gibbs said.
Unlike enchanting fantasy or daring action movies, rom-coms feature characters in relatable, everyday scenarios. “The Devil Wears Prada” portrays an earnest, young woman determined to overcome the struggles of her new job while managing her relationship with her boyfriend. Its message of the importance of knowing one’s self-worth and its powerful narrative of career growth inspire young women to stay true to their morals and values.
Even though Hudson Chung (12) does not watch rom-coms himself, he believes they are a nice concept of love.
“I think that rom-coms are not unrealistic in the real world with the right circumstances. I think that they do not show a distorted view of love, because love is not the same for anyone. I think that it affects people’s view on what love can look like, but ultimately doesn’t hurt anyone,” Chung said.
Whether or not rom-coms display good or bad concepts, it remains a steadfast and cherished movie genre.
