The iconic female lead of our favorite early 2000s rom-coms usually teeters between a stylish, composed pair of heels walking to her office and a frenzied, coffee-stained mess dashing across a busy Manhattan intersection.
No matter which way she sways, the main character of these beloved films is on her way to a day of work in the field of communication. She probably has a 50% chance of being a journalist, with the other side of that coin being a wedding planner. Aside from the fashionable, witty nature of these lovable characters, what they seem to all have most in common is their employment.
The domination of women in the communication field can be explained by the emergence of the working woman in the ‘80s. What began with women being cornered into particular corporate roles under men’s control has grown into an industry led by women today (first pioneered by the leading characters of early 2000s rom-coms, of course).
Regardless of their repetitive yet endearing romantic plotlines, these characters’ ambitions certainly earn their screen time throughout various career struggles. For the next generation of young women striving for success in communication and media, from journalism to marketing to event planning and beyond, this movie genre has given us idols who stood for femininity and building competitive careers.
the wedding planners
They’re basically the hallmark of the rom-com genre itself. While planning weddings is a demanding and valuable career, it has to be the most overrepresented in early 2000s movies.
Thinking about this through the perspective of a male screenwriter, though, it makes perfect sense. A woman unlucky in love, bitter from past heartbreak, and tortured by crafting celebrations of others’ happy marriages to earn her paycheck? It’s the perfect formula for writing a love story, and that’s more often than not what women are put in the spotlight for in films at the beginning of this millennium.
In a typical damsel-in-distress situation, a wedding planner named Mary, played by Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner (well-suited title, isn’t it?), meets her dreamy love interest, who just so happens to be a doctor. While one career isn’t necessarily better than the other, this is a clear example of the media reflecting the box women are so often placed in concerning their careers.
Jane in 27 Dresses (2008), played by Katherine Heigl, is similarly cursed but with endless bridesmaid duties, all while dreaming of her own special day. Not only is she scorned in love, but her whole job is centered around the (frankly patriarchal) ritual of a modern Western wedding.
In these movies, the women exist only in contexts that emphasize their lack of desire for a relationship with a man. So while these characters surely represent accomplishment, they also convey the misogyny of women’s roots in communication — literally as written by men.
the journalists (and editors)
Andie Anderson (AKA my idol), the star of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, is a columnist for a well-read women’s magazine. Aching to become a hard-hitting journalist on current affairs, Kate Hudson’s character sparks an interesting conversation about the criticism of all things “girly” when it comes to the professional world.
While she’s certainly a “girl’s girl” in terms of her fellow journalist friends, a lover of fashion, and embraces her femininity, Andie aims to break out of the misogynistic box her professional goals are restricted by.
In doing so, she alludes that so-called “women’s” areas of media are less worthy than those that are traditionally run by men, such as politics. Current affairs are often considered more significant than trendsetting and destructive dating habits, but it seems that the writers of this film played into the stereotypical restrictions in the corporate world in order to set their main character apart from other women.
Apparently every woman was writing something in the early 2000s.
Margaret, the editor for a publishing company in The Proposal, Jenna, the magazine editor in 13 Going on 30, Andy, the aspiring journalist in The Devil Wears Prada, and Jules, the food critic writer in My Best Friend’s Wedding are just a few examples of the journalist/editor female leads of the genre.
Sex and the City on its own boasts a whole communication friend group, consisting of a columnist, a public relations executive, an art dealer, and a lawyer. All of these women (despite being bogged down by the writers’ often cruel romantic plotlines) are independent, liberating role models for today’s women pursuing careers in communication and humanities.
from the 2000s to 2026
Although Sex and the City’s Miranda is a self-assured lawyer, such a career seems few and far between in these rom-coms. Even though the dear characters we already mentioned no doubt exist within a not-so-fictional sexist corporate system, they serve as role models even twenty years later.
Traditionally a male-dominated field, law represents a high level of professional achievement that has historically been less accessible to women than roles like “wedding planner.” And guess what? The media is starting to reflect this!
This wouldn’t be a comprehensive discussion without paying respect to the awe-inspiring Legally Blonde. I love a motivational study montage!
Elle paved the way for not only real women to pursue ambitious careers but also future characters. In our newest true rom-com (yes, even among the ranks of those listed above), Sydney Sweeney plays the law student Bea in Anyone But You.
Regardless of her character’s initial disinterest in the field, the film portrays a young woman as exceptionally high-achieving in a traditionally male-dominated profession. Rather than being confined to “women’s” subjects, which can be viewed as quite typical and unsurprising as an audience.
What’s normal and expected in society is both fed and regurgitated by the media, and this film signals real change.
For all the rom-com girls pursuing careers in communication in today’s workforce, may we achieve success and female leadership in whatever path we may choose and never forget our roots in early 2000s movies!