So, now what?
While I am clearly fascinated by our society's obsession with romantic love and the consequent overrepresentation of it in popular media, it's not something I can understand all by myself. So, here are some of the conversations I've had while trying to figure all of this out, if you feel like being a fly on the wall. Welcome to our Ted Talks.
replace "shopping" with "discussing various aspects of love in society"
Are you guys dating?
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At a time when there have never been more terms for how we can define a romantic relationship (see: crush, boyfriend/girlfriend, significant other, partner, thing, hookup, fuck buddy, friends with benefits, talking, dating, casually dating, exclusively dating, in an open relationship....the list goes on and on), we aren't just talking about romantic relationships, but at times, imposing those views on other people.
Brooks (a wonderful high school english teacher and close friend) and I discuss our experiences having other people impose their perspectives on our relationships.
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Overall, please stop asking us if we are dating our relatives. ​We aren't Karen.
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Islands, bridges, and breakups - oh my!
Moving from what people think of our relationships towards what they really are, we discuss what it means for other relationships or types of love when a romantic love comes to an end. When do you choose to unpack your baggage? And what does it mean to have empathy for someone without placing their emotions in a weird scripted box you created?
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When you finally unpack your baggage so you can grow from it
and use it to productively further other relationships in your life
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Good boys are good. Ignored baggage is not.
Shit, what's my next line?
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What happens when there *isn't* a script to follow for the end of a relationship? And when there's no timeline to follow? We discuss how weird it is that romantic relationships are the only ones with a blueprint, and what it would look like to apply the same plan to other relationships. Plus, a bonus english lesson for anyone who somehow has not yet read The Great Gatsby (if that is you, what? How? That's so weird. Go buy it now. Or listen to this first and then read it. It's your life.)
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Us when we recognize you can love someone in different ways even after a romantic relationship has ended and grow from it
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Why we shudder at the word "moist"​
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When we take words typically reserved for romantic love out of context, it can make us feel awkward or uncomfortable, just like we feel when that one kid keeps using the word moist during a class discussion. In our last talk, we discuss what it means to take those types of words out of context, intimate pregames, and the role Ariana Grande plays in all of this.
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Congrats, you finished! Thanks for listening and reading along (if you actually did).
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