Fairy tales and romantic comedies while fun to watch, ultimately set us up for disappointment. Unlike horror films and science fiction, which are easy to distinguish from reality, these tug on a heart string and a rationale that maybe...just maybe...this could happen. Take any Disney movie, they are all pretty formulaic, the leads are star-crossed lovers that come from two different worlds and somehow, someway are able to make their love work. And then there is the ever fun romantic comedy, where we find the devastatingly handsome leading man somehow gets his shit together just in the nick of time to show his leading lady that he does genuinely care about her and is now willing to put in the necessary effort to keep her heart forever.
I'm just as guilty as the next girl for buying into this. But its Hollywood, we want to see the happy ending, but the reality is, this doesn't happen in real-life. I think the reality is that women in general are more willing to forgive, to bend, to go back to someone, to put out effort, etc. because we want to buy in that we can have our happy ending too. That maybe he will change... And there will always be the exception to this, so please don't get mad at me for generalizing. There will be the guy that gets it together, the girl that draws the line and says 'no more', or even a complete role reversal all together. But chances are, you and I aren't getting that happy ending. So, what next? Where are the movies that show us how to pick up the pieces and move on with our lives and stop hoping that its going to work out?
Make believe art forms or any art form for that matter should not be role models for life. Conscious self-made decisions are how one pieces their life back together. The same effort that was once put towards someone else should be put towards moving on.
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