The Ugly Truth and He's Just Not that Into You: All Your Relationship Advice Solved!

Masculinities in the OC made me think hard about the new, quasi-reformed genre of the Chick Flick. As opposed to older house-wife soap-movies that emphasized a damsel in distress and a hero to win affection, chick flicks are more and more frequently emphasizing that maybe the man is wrong, the woman is perfect just the way she is and the right man will come along, in all his handsome glory, and realize just how horrible his life would be without her.

Let's Look at two movies in particular: The Ugly Truth, and He's Just Not That Into You. Both follow this classic post-chick flick formula: Girl meets Boy, Boy gives Girl advice for her to find love, Girls starts to find Love, Boy falls in Love with Girl, Girl realizes she doesn't like Boy's advice (mostly because Girl loves Boy... because that makes sense), and Boy confesses love for Girl.

Sure, the Girl has most of the control over the movie. She determines when she wants to listen and doesn't want to listen to Guy's Advice. She decides when her morals are stretched so thin she needs to reevaluate her situation. She decides who she wants, and when she wants it. Personally, I think the fact that people are applauding these basic human functions is, well, appalling.

Not to mention: The Boy Still Wins. He's still the hero. We learn that we have low self-esteem, that we would do anything to be in a relationship, and the answer to all our questions is either "Sex" or "He's Just Not That Into You," because those two things are all that is going through a man's head when he's in a relationship. These movies teach women that we need to simplify our thinking when it comes to relationships, that maybe we're asking for too much, and that we these simplistic answers are fine because in the end, we'll all find love anyways. We need men, for love, for advice to acquire love, and whether or not they're right or wrong, their advice will eventually point us in the right direction.

And what does it teach men? That females are desperate nut-cases willing to do anything for that fairy-tale ending. That they must take the role of providing advice to the girl, because this will eventually end up in her falling in love with him. Harsh words are out of affection, The Could Shoulder is cause by emotional instability. Don't tell a girl you love her, show her by helping her get another guy.

I'm just happy I can sleep at night, knowing that the Media now allows me to think for myself! And by think for myself I mean justify any relationship with: "I need to be sexier" or "He's just not that into me."