The desire for change based on incomplete information is a common trope in romantic comedies. The main character begins their story with a flaw. She might not be too pretty, awkward, or too career-focused to find a lover. He might be too masculine to surrender to the love of a woman, or not successful in comparison to another guy. This perceived flaw sets up the essential plot of the movie. To be loved, I must change. This sets up the interpretation of love being conditional on the belief that if I can edit the undesirable parts of me, romance will find me.

In Need of a Makeover

Many of our favorite rom-coms like She’s All That, The Princess Diaries, and Pretty Woman lean into the myth that one needs to be made over to find love. The protagonist in this type of movie is often portrayed as completely undesirable, and it’s only when she undergoes a complete makeover—new hair, new clothes, and a completely new posture —that she becomes worthy of a man. The irony is that throughout this external change, the audience is expected to cheer on this new makeover as though it were the truth. The movie never teaches women (for the most part) that their inherent worth was always there.

Pretending to Be Someone Else

There’s another genre of romantic comedy that revolves around finding love by pretending to be someone else. This theme can be found in movies like While You Were Sleeping, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and Aladdin. The characters in these movies believe they must change their entire identities to achieve what they want. Especially in a children’s cartoon like Aladdin, the notion is given that you are not lovable as you are.

These movies end with a payoff where the protagonist finally realizes they are worthy and doesn’t need to be anyone else to prove it. It doesn’t necessarily change the tension that was building up from the first 90 minutes of the film. The belief that love is conditional. The moral to any of these stories is that perfection was always there.

The audience may know it. Even the love interest may be aware of it. Even so, the protagonist doesn’t realize her perfection until she sees it within herself. The issue with the movie is that perfection is perceived through the eyes of another person. The protagonist may not see her perfection if she’s not able to get the guy. This moral isn’t just limited to romantic comedies, but serves as a valuable lesson for life. We shouldn’t have to be someone else to be loved. The attainment of another person shouldn’t be the evidence.

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