“If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.”

Deep.

One of the most iconic quotes of the romcom genre that has left almost every girl crying and screaming at their tv.

I understand the appeal of carefully watching two strangers casually bump into each other and meet the one person they can happily spend their entire life with. But, to be completely honest, I’ve never seen The Notebook and don’t ever plan on watching it. All I know is that Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are supposed to be #relationshipgoals.

I guess I could watch the movie and try to understand all the hype, but it’ll just remind me of my amazing, steamy, imaginative, and completely nonexistent love life. Honestly, I just try to avoid romance movies and the whole rom-com scene as much as possible. I’m not a big fan of the whole “love of my life” sorta thing, although I used to be. Though, I can see how watching these movies would give the viewer hope.

I believe that today’s romance movies give their audience a false representation of what finding love is really like. However, every moment the two characters stare into each other’s eyes or share a passionate kiss gives their watchers the hope of finding someone to spend the rest of their life with.

Now I know that I’m already sounding really cliche just talking about romance movies, but I guess I am capturing my inner sixth grade self. Not going to lie, I was basically president of the “love at first sight” club and wrote dramatic fanfictions about Zayn Malik and Harry Styles when I was eleven. Definitely check out my quality imagines on Wattpad. Other than that, I was never really interested in the vampires and werewolves love triangle or the gossip of the upper east side.

Obviously, times have changed. Now that Netflix and Youtube have become so popular, I’ve been able to binge watch Once Upon a Time and drool over Emma and Hook’s love hate relationship. (Captain Swan for life.) I even watched Twilight for the first time, and I do not regret it, (Is it too late to say I’m Team Edward?) and found my ultimate ship, Delena from The Vampire Diaries.

While I am in love with every single male character on the CW, I do know in the back of my head that it’s not real. Sorry to be a debby downer, but am I really going to be caught into a vampire love triangle and have to fight my evil doppleganger? Fingers crossed, no.

It all started with High School Musical. While we all wished for a life as exciting as theirs, I think we can all agree that high school is nothing like High School Musical said it would be. When will my soulmate serenade me? Where’s my ‘T’ necklace? Why aren’t you chasing after me like they do in the movies?

That’s because that’s all they are. Movies. Not reality. As much as I wish I could meet my soulmate who gives me the time of my life in one night, the only boys I’ll be meeting are the ones who try to low key copy my answers on a test. Yeah, I see you.

Romance movies portray an image of finding true love when least expected. They explain the complications and struggles of keeping such a meaningful relationship, but in the end they all live happily ever after. In reality, one drunken night, one mistake, or one word can completely end a relationship for good.

Unfortunately, we don’t know whether we have already lost our true love or if we have yet to meet them. While The Notebook or Grease suggests that we can find true love right under our noses, it actually takes most people a lifetime to understand whether or not they are in love.

While most romance movies can’t accurately portray what finding love is actually like, they do have some benefits. Sure, I may not meet a beast that transforms into a prince or have the glass slipper of my true love, but it does give me hope for the future. High School Musical, Cinderella, or even Twilight let you know that no matter what happens there will always be someone there for you. Whether that person is my best friend, my brother, or some future husband, all these cliches let us know that there is hope to find happiness with someone.