By: Alexandria Goncalves
Romance is a topic that can make you think of many different things: flowers, diamonds, chocolates. The real question is if romance is still alive today. We see in movies what romance is supposed, but do men and women actually act like that? Romance has evolved a lot over the last 20 years, some changes positive and others negative. An improvement is higher tolerance for queer love. LGBT couples can go out and be themselves and show their affection for each other. In the past it was less likely to see that and they had to keep their romance behind closed doors. Today, their romance is more visible and they can be confident about it. A negative would be are we becoming lazy when it comes to romance? Have we forgotten about how we should be treated because we have movies to fill that void? I know there are the people out there that live for romance so that is exactly what they look for but there are some individuals that become surprised when you say that you and your significant other did something or got something romantic for one another.
When looking into the past, there were more standards and limitations to romance involved. Parents played a major part in dating, the love interest often had to prove that they were worthy of their child. Parents were expected to be respected and that they had to meet the person before you started seeing this person. Today, we are not as eager to confide in our parents about our personal lives. Most kids just do as they please without thinking about whether our parents care or not. We have become more self-involved yet, I still believe that our parents know what is good for us before we do. It’s as if our parents have super powers and are able to tell whether or not the person is good for you or not. I find a big part of romance is the partner showing up to your house to introduce themselves to your family. It shows that they respected you and your family, which I find ties into romance.
This also connects to how we meet someone. In the past, you met the person in real life and you would likely go to a bar and meet someone or mutual friends, etc. Today, it has become slightly less meaningful when meeting someone because there are dating apps like Tinder and Bumble. All these platforms have made it easier but also less personal to meet someone. I personally have tried both methods. There comes a lot of danger with meeting someone online. I find it more romantic to meeting someone in person, in movies it’s most likely to see the couple meeting in person through mutual friends, etc. Not through their phones although, because it is more common now, there most likely will be movies released regarding couples meeting online. I can’t remember the last time I have spoken to someone who told me they met someone at a club or bar; yes you could have met on Tinder and planned to meet there yet, I don’t find that as equally romantic.
Now, that one unique aspect that can either be absolutely romantic or absolutely meaningless; sex. This is something that has absolutely taken a major hit in romance. Sex is supposed to be meaningful and with someone you love, that’s what most of us have always been told. That idea has become blurred in today’s society, where sex has become something that people do as leisure activities because going on trips, dinner, movies, etc. isn’t enough anymore for people. People treat sex as if it is something that doesn’t matter, people hand out the sex card as if it is going out of style. Not to say that there aren’t those people that cherish their sex life and want to be special. I find this topic goes a long way, some people will find sex is just something they find normal, and others think it should be special. When thinking of romance a lot of thought goes into sexual activity, it should be in a bed surrounded by candles and rose petals. That’s not the case anymore, and by all means people do whatever makes them happy, they may be able to find their own version of romance in the way they live their lives.