Love is No Glass Slipper

Blaire and Chuck Bass. Gossip Girl’s “power couple,” spotlit in distortion. With fans rooting for their rekindling after every self-destructing breakup. Its exhausting plot in the popular TV show is also one of its most exhilarating. Where toxicity is justified for their endgame electricity. Inconsistency somehow becomes iconic, and manipulation alchemizes into a movie moment. Because a storyline that is painfully romantic simply hits us harder. From lies, to lust, to some form of love. Accountability is excused, while rewarding emotional abuse, as to not jeopardize their fate. Unhealthy conflict becomes the teenage craze for chemistry. As we turn a blind eye to the red flags for a happily ever after founded on misery. Where being bad for one another, is what makes them so good. The media enamors these narratives. In love with the script, more than the scene. How it looks on paper, more than its reality.

Blair Waldof and Chuck Bass from Gossip Girl | ArtPhotoLimited

I think it started with Disney… in world building what love would be, only to grow up and discover its controversies. So, I shouldn’t wait for my prince charming? No, not anymore. But romanticization taught me differently – fulfilled once, if only, by patriarchy. “The media plays an essential role in determining people’s schemas of the real world, assumptions about cultural ideals, and perceptions…”(Behm-Morawitz & Mastro, 2008, as cited in Johnson, 2015). “Children in particular are sensitive to these types of messages due to their…emerging cognitive and social development” (Argawal & Dhanasekaran, 2012, as cited in Johnson, 2015). Although the franchise has modernized from traditional times, the princess phenomenon remains subject to its predecessors.

1.) Disney housed three major eras of generational royalty, and so with our socialization. The Classics (1937-1959), known as, Snow White, Cinderella, and Aurora. Here, unrealistic love at first sight intertwines with a victim-savior complex. Power imbalance instills with the masculine who seizes and saves. A knight in shining armor, victorious in all his strength. While femininity serves as a submissive damsel-in-distress. Domestic, helpless, and hopeful, in her reliance on a man.

2.) The Renaissance (1989-1998), includes Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, and Mulan. Love starts to shift from a necessity to a choice. But not without a semblance of Stockholm syndrome, manipulation, and an “I can change him” mentality. Sacrifice drowns in the deep sea, as the little mermaid gives up her voice for the prince of her dreams. Sure, she found love, but at the cost of her identity. Nonetheless, the princesses’ slowly display a curiosity and self-agency, asserted in their own authority.

3.) Finally, the New-Age (2009-present), stars Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna/Elsa, and Moana. These archetypes prioritize personal ambition over romance. Heroism is now woven into womanhood (about time). As adventure and independence lead the protagonists, regardless of male intervention. However, in an effort for cultural correction, Disney has nearly been rid of romance altogether. Rather than repairing its portrayal – it overcompensates in omission. An approach that continues to neglect the exemplification of healthy love. Mirror mirror on the wall, the media is our biggest influence of them all.

But why do these channels adapt such extremes? Why is there rarely a balance in between? The answer is simple, it’s because it’s what we want to see. The media is here to entertain and escape, more than it is to educate. There is a commercial appeal for chaos, passion, and imperfect perfection. More than there is for partnership, character, and communication. Thus, healthy relationships are cast aside, for one either hot and heated, or removed altogether. Because there are no sold-out seats, without a compelling story. Predictability is boring, and the normalcy of day-to-day life is nothing new. Engagement instead boosts within the mess of misunderstanding, conflict, and reconciliation. A deeper level of relatability resides within these plotlines, over the white-picket fence, apple pie comprise. Because as much as the media manipulates, there is still solace to be found within its looking glass for humankind.

Life imitates art, and art imitates life. We steer the narrative, almost as much as the narrative steers us. As viewers we seek stimulation – emotionally, and intellectually. This is where drama drives a developmental arc of captivation. “Audiences are drawn to characters who evolve, learn, and grow…Without personal…transformation, the storyline might lack depth and the powerful draw of seeing someone change and overcome adversity” (Alam, 2025). From an industry stance, this influence is more easily directed through dysfunctional dynamics. And thus, we push for the many myths of “the one”, grand gestures, and love can fix.The many myths of true love’s kiss, the instant spark, and sex so magnificent, you forget all maleficence. What we ask, we shall receive, so who is the real accomplice to our social scrutiny?

Online Dating Illustration | Xavier News Wire

“Media consumption…has a measurable impact on people’s beliefs surrounding reality and helps guide their values, decisions, and outlooks; regardless of how true the perceptions are” (Behm-Morawitz & Mastro, 2008, as cited in Johnson, 2015). Wuthering Heights, further solidifies this sentiment. The movie trails a toxic romance between Heathcliff and Catherine. A bond built on obsession, vengeance, and control, while simultaneously spotlighting them as soulmates. The Notebook highlights two lost lovers coming back to one another, after Allie cheats on her fiancé, for Noah. This sets a standard for love to overcome all odds if it’s simply meant to be – yet another soulmate philosophy. While La La Land was one of the first films I watched that shook me surprisingly. Because it defied the propaganda otherwise preached. Here, Mia and Sebastian let go of their love in the pursuit of their dreams. A wake-up call to reality, where self-actualization takes priority. And thus, they move on, with the other in their heart, in place of their hand.

The media emits messages we absorb into our identity, reinforcing its sociocultural authority. Romance displays as a rollercoaster of a honey-moon phase. Dipped in a deliciously sweet transcendence of adrenaline. But there is great responsibility in the rhetoric to not only share a one-sided story. Sure, love can be portrayed as crazy and all-consuming, but it shouldn’t be confined. With the virtual paradigm shaping our perceptions, we are inevitably left to follow in its footsteps. If romance falls victim to fabrication, reality will skydive close behind. So, love isn’t coming to rescue me, right? No princess, for when the clock strikes midnight, the truth will reside. Take it all in, with some sugar and spice. So next time you watch a movie, enjoy the magic carpet ride, but don't forget to admire the romance in your own life.

La La Land Poster | The Ashbury Collegian

References:

Johnson, R. (2015). The evolution of Disney princesses and their effect on body image, gender roles, and the portrayal of love. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/

Alam, N. (2025, January 20). Do good relationships make bad movies?. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pop-culture-mental-health/202412/do-good-relationships-make-bad-movies#:~:text=While%20good%20relationships%20generally%20make,with%20less%20conventional%20storytelling%20techniques.

Strike Out,

Kynda Kailea Green

Miami

Kynda Green studied in the field of Communications and Media. She enjoys exploring her artistic expression through creative directing, writing, and film. Her passion pursuit includes her poetry page on Instagram. Here, she reflects on the relatability of the human experience while connecting through art. In addition to her self-published work, you can find her frolicking in nature, venturing new places, and taking photos with friends.

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