Chuck Klosterman wrote a very good and thought-provoking article on mass media's impact on our feelings about romance, love, and relationships. He opens by stating that he will never be satisfied by a woman, or will he be able to satisfy her. He blames this on mass media and their portrayal of romance. In movies you see the people who have out-of-control, crazy-in-love romances. This makes you want that same romance. In movies, no matter the difficulties, everything always works out. He states that we are all moved by these depictions and measure our relationships against them. He calls this "fake love" because we are yearning after a fictional symbol of romance that is often unattainable. He also points out that these fictional portrayals cause us to "need something more than we want." Humans feel a need for a relationship and emotional connection to other beings. If you stop to think about the effects that relationship may have on your life, you may find that you are actually happier single. People even go so far as to fall in love with fictional characters they see in movies, and then measure potential partners against those fictitious creations.
There are several examples of these concepts to be found in movies. In "The Five-Year Engagement" you have two people who are madly in love until they are engaged. Then things start happening to postpone their wedding and force them apart. In the end, everything works out and they finally get married. In "Avatar" you have a good example of crazy-in-love. The main character is willing to give up his race, his world, to be with the girl he falls for. As for the "Twilight" series, it embodies fake love. The are groups of girls who are absolutely in love with Edward, a fictional character from the movie, and he's a vampire no less. These are just a few examples of how media shapes our views on relationships.
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