The University of Michigan conducted an unusual study in order to check how romantic movies wrongly promote the ‘love conquers all’ myth.
The researchers, in front with Julia R. Lippmann, included in the study a group of women who were asked to watch three romantic comedies (like “There’s Something About Mary”) and another group of women who were asked to watch three thrillers (like “Sleeping With the Enemy”). It is about the study called “I Did It Because I Never Stopped Loving You”.
After the views, the researchers found out through the applied questionnaires that women who watched romantic comedies – where the aggressiveness of men is oftenly shown in a positive light because they simply do not accept to take “no” for an answer – were more likely to relate to the aggressive male behavior as to a normal one.
Romantic movies, as Lippman says, cause women to agree “false or exaggerated beliefs regarding harassment, thus minimising its seriousness, which means that someone who strongly endorses the persistent conqueror myth tends to take harassment less seriously”.
Watching romantic movies where the conqueror goes all the way even with an obsessive behavior, may affect the healthy perception of women regarding this behavior of follower, the spectator women being more inclined to disobey their instincts. And the advertisings that go on the same path are only some “supporting” pillars to encourage the same idea.
Regarding teenage girls, romantic comedies (and not only) can inoculate to them the thinking that a real man should play hard-to-get, in order to have a dream relationship. As such, they are liable to trivialize certain negative behaviors of male and have a misperception regarding love.
Unlike this finding, women who watched thrillers (action films with explicit violent scenes) were far more likely to call harassment of men as being what it is, eliminating from the start the myth “love conquers all” – when it is about a man who does not accept any refusal.
In response to this (perhaps) unexpected result, New York Magazine said: „Science can ruin anything (…), and now our love of romantic comedies”. It’s pretty uncomfortable to present the negative aspects of so-called innocent pleasures.
But researchers have revealed another serious issue: in India, where many films of Bollywood precisely focuse on this type of romantic comedies – with men who do not accept a refusal from a woman -, the number of sexual harassments is very high.
Lippmann stressed in the end of her study:
“Love is great, but so is respect for other people. This is true even when people tell you things you don’t want to hear.”
Pro Jesus’ sources:
Child B., „Study finds romcoms teach female filmgoers to tolerate ‘stalking myths’”, The Guardian, February 3, 2016
June L., „Study Confirms Watching Love Actually Is Bad for You”, New York Magazine, February 3, 2016
Lau R., „Do romantic comedies teach women that stalking is OK?”, Global News Canada, February 2, 2016
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