The Rom Com Post

So I’ve been meaning to write about Rom Coms for a while, but have been unsure how to approach it. While it’s tempting to be dismissive and patronizing about the whole genre, the problem is I really like a good romantic comedy. They’re my go-to feel-good movies. I watch them when the boyfriend is out of town while painting my toenails. Seriously. So can I justify my love of cheesy romantic movies with my desire to be a cynical feminist about anything the mainstream media produces? Let’s find out.

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Buying your girlfriend diamonds buys her body, but her soul costs extra

This ad makes me throw up in my mouth a little. Seriously, monogamy to the 100^th degree? What does that even mean? Well, according to Hearts on Fire:

The difference being a dedication to intensity. There is simply no better word to describe our diamonds or the unique relationships they have come to symbolize over the years. It’s this belief in intensity that drives us to cut and polish our diamonds at 100 times magnification, 10 times the industry standard.

So you don’t just commit to being with one person, you really really commit. And you buy her expensive bling. So she won’t go into the negative monogamy exponentials.

From their ads it’s fairly obvious who is buying the diamond for who- and therefore who is buying “monogamy” from who. Call me crazy, but I don’t actually find the idea of my trust being bought all that romantic. I would rather, I dunno, be with someone who I trust period, bling or no bling.

Sarcasm aside, the implication that you own exclusive use of a woman’s body because you bought her a shiny rock is despicable, and you can tell them so: customerservice@heartsonfire.com. My letter is after the jump, feel free to cut and paste if you’re short for time.

 

PS- I do intend to find something to write about that makes me happy eventually. I promise!

 

12 Reasons not to take relationship advice from MSN

So I know MSN is not known for its highly intellectual articles, and a great deal of the “entertainment reading” on the website is inane drivel. But occasionally, it does have some interesting cultural ideas show up. Today, along with news about soccer, the RCMP and cancer we get this: “Top 12 things to never ask your boyfriend.” Gah. It’s all so predictable, like The Rules updated to be young and fresh for a new wave of women to be manipulated. But, along with finding ranting about these things cathartic, I also find them to be a treasure trove of arguments to use against the “there’s no need for feminism” contention.

Just by reading the title you can tell the major problem with this article is gender profiling. The idea that somehow all the millions of women on the planet are all asking their boyfriends the same questions and the millions of boyfriends all feel annoyed by them. There is also the issue that if you’re taking relationship advice from MSN, you’ve got some other issues.

Anyway, here they are: