love, deconstructed

There's more to it than romcoms.

What is love? (Baby don't hurt me). But in all seriousness, I am here to talk about love. As someone who has never technically been *in* love.  Which might sound crazy at first, but stick with me here.

Let's play a quick game: Try to think of a popular book, movie, or TV show that doesn't include some type of romantic love as a plot point. No grand gesture at the end, no breakup that spurs a huge life change. It's harder than you would think, right? Here are a few I finally came up with: Moana, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Life of Pi.

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Part of why that fun little game is so difficult is because somehow, as a culture (American, specifically) we have deemed romantic love to be the end-all be-all goal. Landing a partner, getting down the aisle, it’s the essence of rom coms, love songs, and daily conversations everywhere. But was it always like this? Why are we so obsessed with the idea or romantic love? And finally, does it take away from all the other ways that we show love?