Role of Media and Books:
The role of Mass Media while discussing culture, traditions, and living standards of one’s life cannot be overlooked as it has been a solid communicating tool from the very start. Whether it be print media, digital media, or electronic media, all of them have been communicating ideas, and traditions, and hence, influencing all of us, and especially young generations. The genre of romance and love is highly popular among youngsters. They prefer to watch romantic movies and indulge in reading love stories. But, does romance in Media and Literature impact teenagers? If the answer is yes, then the question remains How does it inform?
Exploring Romance in Literature and Media:
As teenagers explore the world on their own, romance in literature and media can impact teenagers in a positive way or vice versa. In this blog, we will be focusing on the depiction of romance in literature and media and the happy and gloomy impacts of romance on youngsters. For example, do the movies ask teenagers to consider intimacy synonymous with love rather than finding it a part of love? Does the literature advocate not giving up the longing to turn the abusive beast into a caring prince?
Evolution of Romance:
The phantom of romance has appeared in many forms and scenarios since the emergence of cinema in Hollywood. The role of Disney movies cannot be neglected in shaping the figures of love, romance, and relationships among youngsters, especially young girls. In simple words, the impact of romance in literature and media (Disney) has created another illusionary world for teenagers. Almost all the love stories including Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Snow White articulate the importance of man in a girl’s life. For instance, the man will save her and, hence, will be his protector. Disney has also introduced the concept of “happily ever after” to the audience. And this concept still resides in the minds unequivocally.
Happily Ever After:
The concept of “happily ever after” is another form of love that guarantees a care-free future. The young girls have started to see themselves as a ‘damsel in distress’ and to be saved by a man only because they cannot find a way for themselves. Moreover, they paint a man who will be as handsome as a prince and as brave as a knight. To give an example, Snow White looks for the prince to come and rescue her.
Also, the protagonist in the movies usually attracts the prettiest girl. Both of them fall in love at first sight. And when teenagers watch such love stories, they cannot help themselves but scan out such a partner in every second person. This unnoticed influence on the audience escorts disappointment in reality for in the real world, no one is perfect and can meet the bar of imaginative expectations.
Celebrating the fights between romantically involved couples has become a common practice for it translates to passion and unconditional love for each other. The young audience, ignoring the worth of understanding, finds it positive and non-toxic. Mary-Lou Galician, the founder of the model “Realistic Romance” writes in her course book, “Sex, Love, and Romance in the Mass Media” that the audience finds this “bickering and fighting a lot means that a man and a woman really love each other passionately”. They seem blind to evaluate (by comparing it with any other real relationship, such as of friends) that constant fighting leads to disturbance of mind and ultimately brings home, ‘chaos’.
Romance In Literature:
It Ends With Us:
As youth seek inspiration from romantic literature, “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover is being cherished worldwide for its portrayal of a romance that is concealed in colors of toxicity, rationality, and affection for each other. The toxicity engrossed in the book births from Hoover’s own home and she asks the readers to abandon such relationships which are tied in the knot of abuse and red flags because she firmly believes that one cannot change the toxicity and abuse present in its spouse. Furthermore, she writes, “Some risks are never worth taking, especially when those risks have failed you in the past.”
Diving in the currents of extreme love and abuse, Lily, the protagonist of the novel chooses to leave her husband, Ryan. Ryan loves her blindly yet still beats her. Instead of trying, again and again, to eradicate the root of abuse in him, Lily gives up. She ends the vicious cycle of toxic love and enunciates, “It stops here. With me and you. It ends with us”.
Ugly Love:
Drawn on the canvas with paint of eroticism merged with obsession, “Ugly Love” is another book influencing teenagers. It scrutinizes the importance of communion in a relationship that overshadows society’s true and practical relationship.
In Ugly Love, Tate and Miles, the heroine and the hero respectively, fall in love from head to toe. However, their love is not at all simple. It is entangled between the phantoms of the past and the indecisiveness of choosing mental health over infatuation and enjoying unhindered sexual encounters. Tates sacrifices her self-respect while Miles uses the body of Tate merely for enjoyment. Tate also enjoys this casual intimacy and confesses that “His lips against mine feel like everything. Like living and dying and being reborn, all at the same time”. Slowly passing the doorway of situationship (a relationship more than casual sex but less than serious commitment), they start to ‘flew in love’. However, their love for each other has been manifested through intimate and romantic encounters. These sexually charged scenes overshadow the prevailing love between them.
Romance In Films:
After analyzing romance in literature, let us move into the realm of movies. Some movies depict romance, along with, sex in a way that both of them remain separate and neither of them overshadows the other. Such movies ignite hope in the hearts of younger audiences to have a balanced yet sexually charged relationship in their lives.
Whether it be a Romantic beach date pregnant with emotions, or a surreal departing scene of lovers in a hospital on the silver screen, the audience imagines themselves in their place. Furthermore, they build a fictional palace in the real world embellished with idols of extremely intimate and platonic love, respectively.
The Notebook:
The romance depicted in the movie “ The Notebook” not only touches the concept of “always and forever”, but also cuddles with the wild and desperate carnal desires of the couple. After years of separation, the couple celebrates their reunion through intimacy.
Having come across any infatuation in real life, young people mistake it for true love and start imagining dates their lives with them.
Intimacy:
The scene of intimacy embeds young minds with the notion that love can be expressed through love-making and it is the most important phase of love. They see that the on-screen couple is getting naked in front of each other and is not facing any kind of difficulty, an iota of hesitation, or a drop of fear. Therefore, they start to contemplate that love and intimacy are destined to be this way and it is justified to do so by neglecting factors as Allie ( the heroine ) does. She not only enjoys the act but also forgets that she is being disloyal to her fiance who loves her as much as he can.
Social Mobility:
In addition to this, Noah’s social mobility inspires young audiences because they begin to believe that love, like a spell, will transform the ragged man into a prince who will chase and marry the princess eventually. In fact, Noah states “I want all of you, forever, every day. You and me… every day.” This has attracted a lot of young feeble minds who have become hard-core fans of this line. Their idea of ‘perfect’ romance revolves around these lines.
Suffering from Alzheimer’s dementia, Allie embraces death and Noah accompanies her fulfilling the vows of his marriage, “in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish.” He promises Allie that he will never ‘leave’ her alone and this idea of being together for eternity mesmerizes the weak minds. They think that true love never part ways, never ever. And if the red flags are consuming their marriage, they will tear it apart with the help. This thinking not only ruins them but engulfs the happiness and peace of their minds and their children. Such youngsters turn into parents and cannot define true and real love to their progeny for they themselves have not learned what is ‘love’.
Five Feet Apart:
“Five Feet Apart” incorporates the idea of platonic love mostly but with love, comes the desire to touch each other. Stella and Will overcome this desire by fashioning a rule of maintaining only a distance of five feet. Powerful and emotional scenes in the movie, undoubtedly, explain the definition of true love. True love, as perceived by the movies is to sacrifice not only yourself but also your parents’ wishes to save the other. Will sacrifices his chance to live for Stella while leaving his parents to cry.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, romance in literature and media impacts the mind of the reader, positively and negatively. Movies like “ The Notebook” set the bar quite unstable as love is more than intimate scenes. Undoubtedly, sometimes giving up can be the best option for a couple.
Similarly, “Five Feet Apart” sets the bar too high. But, How? Well, in reality, no one is usually that optimistic and considerate to save one’s life, usually.
The novel, “Ugly Love” reflects infatuation and love in the same shade. Therefore, the readers especially the young ones mistake the ‘spark of intimacy’ for true love. However, “It Ends With Us” successfully portrays true love and wins millions of fans all across the globe.
It asserts the worth of mental health, physical strength, self-love, independence, and shunning toxic love. The readers unconsciously change their psyche regarding love which proves to be helpful for them in real life.
Undoubtedly, romance in literature and love prevailing in media impact teenagers.
References:
Hoover, Colleen. “Note From The Author.” It Ends with US, Simon & Schuster, London, England, 2023, pp. 288–293.
Hoover, Colleen. It Ends with US, Simon & Schuster, London, England, 2023.
Hoover, Colleen. Ugly Love, Simon & Schuster, NewYork, NewYork, 2014.
https://www.realisticromance.com/PDFs/QuizRxWeb.pdf
