Watching more modern kids movies in general with romance I’m starting to recognize a disturbing trend that honestly concerns me.
I noticed a pattern: Lazy/Jerky/Antisocial/Grouchy male character meets female lead.
Female lead is usually either 2 things, super naive, kind, and sweet, or a super strict workaholic.
And in the end they wind up together because the girl warms the guy’s heart and he changes for the better
This shouldn’t be the mentality we should be giving people about relationships, honestly. This is one big reason why so many girls think they need to be the ones to change their ‘bad boys’, why they get trapped in abusive relationships with assholes who claim these girls make them a better person while they continue to act like a jerk.
Many people, men and women alike, are stuck with this mentality that they are obligated to make a broken person whole. That isn’t your job. Your job is not to make a person stop being bad, it’s not to fill in the hole in their hearts. Yes, encouraging someone to be a better person is good, but thinking that you’re the only one who can do it, that you have to stay with that person, that eventually they can change and that their bad attitude is something to pity and nurture…
No, it’s bad.
It’s really really bad.
Funny enough I was thinking about this when I was watching Chicken Run. Because let’s be honest, Rocky was an irresponsible and lazy jerk and it took him forever to show an ounce of respect to Ginger.
Or let’s look at Frozen’s “Fixer Upper” lyrics, which I’ve always really hated:
“So he’s a bit of a fixer upper
But this we’re certain of
You can fix this fixer upper up
With a little bit of love!”
"The way to fix up this fixer upper
Is to fix him up with you!”
"People make bad choices
If they’re mad or scared or stressed
But throw a little love their way…
And you’ll bring out their best!”
Fuck that song and the message it teaches young girls.