Romance Vs. Reality
Hollywood paints a picture of what their idea of love looks like. We may not realize it subliminally influences our view of normal relationships. We see beautiful girls with perfect lives and perfect hair falling in love with perfect guys in romantic or exhilarating situations. It’s unhealthy and unfair to expect guys to live up to this impossible standard. We can appreciate and look for important qualities in real men. Are they honest, respectful, responsible and trustworthy?
It’s also hard to avoid a rom-com, TV show or Netflix series that equates love with sex. They tell us couples don't love each other unless a date ends in bed. Hollywood portrays sex as an expected activity for anyone, at any age, no matter the circumstance. Realistically many characters in these stories would have STD’s, unintended pregnancies and a lot of heartache. According to the Centers for Disease Control, only 26% of high schoolers are currently sexually active.1 Saving sex for marriage makes total risk avoidance possible and builds healthy long-term relationships.
- Laura Kann, PhD, Tim McManus, MS; William A. Harris, MM, et al., Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance — United States, 2017. MMWR Surveill Summ 2018;67(No. SS-Vol. 67 / No. 8):pages 330-332.
