Background:
We love burning passion and crazy romance stories on our screens. But how realistic are they? Are they always as desirable as they seem? I love a good rom-com and “Bridgerton” as much as the next person, there’s no shame in indulging in these ‘guilty pleasures.’ But when we do indulge, we need to be thoughtful about what’s realistic and what we should be glamorizing.
Action: Rethinking our favorite relationships
Jim and Pam “The Office”
Many of us see Jim and Pam as the ideal relationship. And in this case, the media does a pretty great job at portraying a healthy relationship. Look at how Jim treats Pam vs Roy for instance. Even towards the end of the series, turmoil hits the relationship when Jim gets a new job in Philly. However, after some tears and harsh feelings are shed, Jim reminds Pam of how well they belong together they work together to compromise and support what is best for them and their family.
Chuck and Blaire “Gossip Girl”
In the early 2010s, everyone knew of Chuck and Blair’s infamous back-and-forth relationship, and many idolized it. But when you look deeper, these two were toxic in the way they played games, treated each other, and ultimately enabled bad behaviors of one another. Although we all cheered when they wed with seemingly a happy ending, the games they played to get there weren’t healthy. If they were honest and communicated from the start, they could’ve formed a healthy relationship with each other from the beginning.
Kate and Anthony “Bridgerton”
Kate and Anthony are clearly meant to be from the start. However, the series indulges in a tumorous relationship that ultimately hurts many loved ones in the process. I get that without this storyline there wouldn’t be a series - I love the series too! We can still indulge but understand the complications and relationships we ‘idolize’ in the media and don’t repeat harmful patterns in our real lives.
Action: Understanding how to be critical of media/Hollywood
It’s clear not all content creators, film companies, and media organizations have our best interest in mind. When creating content, “how will this affect the minds of young ones in a negative way” doesn’t seem to always be the forefront of discussion. That’s why we must be critical when seeing relationships on our screens.
Check out this TikTok from our account about grooming in hollywood and hollywood pedophilia.
Action: Be a Friend!
Take some time today to show extra kindness to someone in your life!
& Don’t forget to keep gathering donations to help survivors this month!