Why it’s totally OK to love a cheesy romantic comedy

Ever since I can remember, I have always loved romantic comedies. I have always been a sucker for books and films that were filled with clichés and gave me sickly sweet endings, where everything just turns out to be OK and things turn around, JUST for you. I was one of those people who excitedly sat down to watch a romantic comedy even though I had already watched it a couple of times (okay. . .more like several, or ten times). But even though romantic comedies are a little absurd, repetitive, and very cheesy sometimes, it didn’t bother me much, and I still adored them.

That being said, I always remember feeling quite guilty about loving them. I felt too corny, like I wasn’t “deep” enough, like I was not one of those impressive perfectionist film critics, scrutinizing the small details and cinematic nuances. I actually became slightly mad at myself that I could find something so trite and overdone rather striking.

But I finally came to realize why I love rom-coms so much. Having experienced death at a very young age — my father passed away when I was about five years old — I have always looked for ways to break free from having to be more mature and serious, and from accepting that life can be a burden. Life seemed way too serious when I was young, and I didn’t want it to be so weighty. And while we all experience the loss of a very close person at one point or another, I just wanted to be a kid and enjoy the small things in life, like watching a romantic comedy while drinking a hot chocolate in the winter. It was a great, harmless form of escapism for me.

Nevertheless, you don’t really have to experience a loss in order to have the desire to daydream and escape life’s hardships and stressful events. And you don’t have to justify your love for rom-coms with anything. You’re totally allowed to love what you love. I reckon we all have our own “corny” ways of dealing with things, to lessen our stress and help us take a break from our busy lives —like digging a giant spoon into an ice cream tub after a breakup, or reading a funny book in the shower. And of course, these things seem to work pretty well, too.

Eventually I came to realize I have nothing to be ashamed of in loving a little cheesiness. We all have these funny ideas about how humans should behave and act in order to be insightful and deep, which is much sillier than indulging in some cheesy escapism. If I’m being honest with myself and with you, I can’t get enough of John Cusack’s boombox scene in Say Anything and I think the moment in Bridget Jones’s Diary where Bridget and Darcy are kissing passionately in the snow while he is covering her granny panties just to keep her warm, is priceless.

Look. Life can be really boring sometimes, having the same routine over and over again with work and school and trying to stay sane while juggling it all together. Life can also be difficult, sad, and lonely. But I’ve come to find life can also be really corny and sweet, too. It’s not just about having a choice to make life more interesting. Sometimes really amazing things happen to you, like sitting in a park near a lake and having a deep conversation with someone you love, or getting a compliment about something that you worked very hard on. I know these instances are simple. But they bring us little moments of joy, the kind of joy we long for.

And you know what? Occasionally, things DO turn around just for you, just like in a rom-com. Sometimes, you are the important character in your story, and not just a tiny speck in the vast universe. And no, wanting to be important is not the same as being self-obsessed: we are all passionate about it, because we want to believe our existence benefits this planet somehow, and we want to be loved and be good at things we’re passionate about.

So if you’re a total sucker for cheesy rom-coms, don’t feel guilty. Don’t feel like you need to experience something more high-brow just for the sake of others. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Just enjoy those moments of escapism, and actually allow yourself to temporarily escape!

Vered Cohen is a 22-year-old girl from Israel. She is a vegan and is very passionate about animal rights. She loves singing, dancing, reading, and, of course, writing. She is currently working in customer service, but in her spare time, she enjoys traveling the world. She is about to start her BA in English Literature next year. She loves novels, romantic comedies, Disney, fashion, and just exploring the world and the beauty is has to offer.

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