Why I Love Romantic Comedies

“I simply regard romantic comedies as a subgenre of sci-fi, in which the world created therein has different rules than my regular human world.” 
― Mindy Kaling

Romantic Comedies, or “chick flicks” actually make up a pretty big part of my life. If I’ve had a terrible day, I’m confused about a guy, I’ve started to lose any faith I once had in love or I just want a movie night with the girls, rom coms are my go to. I think it all started because my mother brought me up on movies like Singing In The Rain and Guys And Dolls (both of which are fantastic, I highly recommend them). Classic movies all have this element of larger than life romance. The women were always so glamorous and the men would undoubtedly profess their love in some grand way. Therefore, as I got older, Romantic Comedy was naturally the genre I became attached to.

There seems to be this constant stream of hate towards chick flicks. Some say they are demeaning to women, some think the plots are too unrealistic and some are just cynical about love. I think the confusion is that these people are convinced that the genre I love is meant to be viewed as an actual representation of real relationships. I am well aware that the chances of me being swept off my feet by “Mr. Right” are incredibly low, but you know what, I’m okay with that. Romantic Comedies actually allow for some pretty kick ass female characters, many of which I would be thrilled to be like. These movies show how wonderful relationships can be, but they also show how confusing and painful and terrifying they are. So, to further prove my point, here are the top lessons I have learned from Romantic Comedies.    

1.      You need a kickass best friend. In my humble opinion, a movie is only as good as its supporting roles. You need someone who can make you laugh through the pain and bring you comfort with food no questions asked. The love you have for friends is just as important (if not more so) than the love you have for your significant other, because boyfriends (or girlfriends, you do you) come and go, but good friends are in it for the long haul.                                              
2.       Romance comes in many different forms. Sometimes it’s the love of your life running through the airport in order to proclaim their love to you (and make you miss your flight), but it can also be the way they look at you or remember your favorite things or agree to watch yet another romantic comedy with you because they know how much you love them. Romantic films show us portrayals of big gestures, which granted, are entertaining as hell, but not always accurate. However, these scenes also show women that hypothetically, someone could care about them enough to make a show of it.                                                                                          
3.       Love yourself first. Practically every romantic comedy has a sequence of the main female role being forced to confront her emotions and make peace with some element in her life before she can commit to her guy. I’ve always loved this aspect because, (to quote the fabulous Ru Paul) “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love someone else?”                       
4.       The first man you fall for is not always the man you end up with. I think it’s important to remember that even though you may have loved someone, if it doesn’t work out with them, it isn’t the end of the world. Call up that kick ass best friend of yours and get back out there. Or eat ice cream and cry for a while, but you know eventually get back out there!                             
5.       The right person will love you, faults and all. One of the main things that make the men in romantic comedies seem so wonderful is that they love and accept their partner for who they really are. Women are always being told they need to change in order to look, act or dress a certain way and so the thought of someone loving us just the way we are is kind of spectacular.

As of right now, I am happily single, but whenever I want to play make believe I can re-watch my favorite chick flicks and enjoy every second of the sappy lines. I think that’s the main reason so many women enjoy romantic comedies, it’s just another way of playing make believe as an adult (other than the wedding board we all have on Pinterest).

            In case I’ve managed to persuade you to give rom coms a chance, or you’re a fan as well, I’ll include a list (in no particular order) with a few of my personal favorites. Enjoy!

1.     When Harry Met Sally

2.     The Proposal

3.     My Big Fat Greek Wedding

4.     Bridget Jones Diary

5.     Crazy Stupid Love

6.     Date Night

7.     The Notebook

8.     Letters to Juliet

9.     The Holiday

10.  500 Days of Summer

11.  Failure to Launch

12.  Breakfast at Tiffany’s

13.   Love Actually

14.  The Princess Bride

15.  Two Weeks Notice

16.  When in Rome

17.  Little Manhattan

18.  The Wedding Planner

19.  27 Dresses

20.  How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

21.  Notting Hill

22.  Pretty Woman

23.  Ever After: A Cinderella Story

24.  Penelope
25.  My Life in Ruins

How To Care For An Introvert

I have always been an introvert. It's a part of who I am and something I have come to like about myself. In fact, chances are, either someone close to you is introverted or you are also an introvert (in which case hi, it's nice to meet you). So, if you find that we are just too difficult to understand, let me share a few thoughts to help enlighten you!

1. If I’m quiet, it doesn’t mean I’m mad at you. Nine times out of ten, I’m actually just thinking or day dreaming about something random. 

2. Meeting new people isn’t always fun for me; it’s actually incredibly stressful. Meeting a lot of new people at once is exhausting, I have to be witty and charming for long periods of time for people I don’t know. Maybe I’ll meet someone really great, but maybe I’ll say something really stupid and offend someone. Please keep this in mind the next time you try to force an introvert into a new environment.

3. I need alone time. Being around people all day totally drains me of energy, by being alone, I can recharge and relax. It gives me time to think.**Important** Please, please, please do not interrupt my time. You taking that time away for me is the same as if someone were to deny you sleep. You would be able to function, but you would be exhausted and crabby. So, if you try to take away "me time", you might get stabbed with a fork. You have been warned.

4. Staying in is just as fun for me as going out. Please don’t think that I’m sitting by myself all alone and depressed Bridget Jones style when I stay in. I actually love being able to just put on comfy cloths and watch Netflix. It’s pretty much of my idea of a perfect night.

5. Don't pity me for whatever “life experience” you think I’m missing out on by not going out all the time. I actually have no problem with not experiencing a few of the “crazy drunken nights” you feel like I should be having. If it really means that much to you I can get drunk at home and cuddle with my dogs (while not having to deal with creepy guys trying to buy me drinks). Really, I don’t want your pity. You do you, and when you want some down time, you know where to find me!

6. Please don’t put all the attention on me. If I want people to pay attention to me, I can make it happen myself. However, when you do it for me, it makes me really embarrassed and uncomfortable. I know you mean well, but I can handle it myself.

7. Stop trying to pressure me into social situations I clearly don’t want to be in. If I don’t want to go out, nothing you say is going to make me change my mind, for reference please refer to numbers 2, 3, 4 AND 5.

8. Please don’t try to surprise me with plans. I need to time to correctly organize my day and when something is thrown at me last second it’s very stressful.

9. I’m not anti-social or even all that shy, I just like to do things on my own terms. I prefer to take things slower and really get to know a person rather than spend all of my energy being introduced to a bunch of people at once. Every now and then, I do feel like going out, but don’t be surprised if I leave early. 

10. Possibly the most important thing, please don’t tell me I need to a) loosen up, b) come out my shell, and especially not c) live a little. I find all of these really rude and insensitive. Being an introvert isn’t bad, it just means I enjoy different things and have a different set of needs. 

Introductions

Hi I'm Lily! I'm bad with introductions, so here goes nothing. I am originally from Texas, but I am currently a freshman at Mount Holyoke College (which is in Massachusetts) and despite the cold weather, I love it here. I can tell you now that the chances of this blog having a congruent theme are very low, but I promise I will do my best make you smile. What it will more likely become is a reflection of the beautiful chaos that is my life. I love vintage clothing and makeup. I guess in that sense, I never really stopped playing dress up. I adore baking, old movies, anything Christmas related and dogs. I am simply creating this blog as a space where I (and anyone else who feels like it) can be creative, or rant, or just come to laugh and make fun of themselves. I wanted a way to document this point of life in way that might also make a few people smile in the process. Welcome!