Young Love

Have you heard of the movie, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before? Recently, it seems to have taken Netflix by storm.

Throughout my social media feed, I’ve seen GIFs and references to some character named “Peter Kavinsky” followed by individuals pining to meet someone like him. Case in point:

Naturally, after seeing things like this, I got curious and decided to give the movie a watch.

And… it was your high school romantic comedy, evidently nothing that hadn’t been done before. (Boy and girl meet under less than desirable circumstances, they develop feelings for each other, things get complicated, but they eventually get together. You know. The works.) But, the curious thing was, no matter how unoriginal it was, it still “worked.” When Peter goes the extra mile (Almost quite literally. He drives to the other side of town.) to get his love interest, Lara Jean, her favorite yogurt drinks, I could feel my heart panging just a little bit. And when Peter finally confesses his love for Lara Jean and kisses her, well, my heart started panging a lot more than just a little bit.

But, if I knew what this movie was — if I understood that there was nothing revolutionary about it, why did I still react this way? And why did other people care about it so much?

As I thought about it more, I realized this craze was anything but a new phenomenon. This type of romantic comedy genre, especially in regards to this innocent “boy meets girl and falls in love” trope, has been popular time and time again. Take High School Musical for example:

Troy and Gabriella’s love story was strung out for THREE MOVIES.

And how about Grease?

This story has been around for, what, about 40 years?

So, evidently, there is something about this formula of romantic portrayal that appeals to individuals throughout the decades. Now, what exactly is it?

Two words. Young Love.

When someone mentions “young love” or “first love,” what do you think?

I know I think of emotional exploration. I think of growth. I think of a love that is wholesome, innocent, simple, and pure — evidently untainted by ulterior motives and deceit.

These films ultimately glorify these ideas, painting love as a picturesque, idealistic dream full of emotion. I mean, in Grease, after growing to understand each other, the two lovers LITERALLY fly away in a car together to live happily ever after.

If this isn’t idealism. I don’t know what is.

And there’s something so incredibly special about this portrayal, something so alluring and captivating about it. Especially when we live in a world rooted in, well, reality, and romantic love is never ever as picturesque as this.

So, in many ways, these movies offer an escape from realism, luring childlike innocence out from the depths of audience members’ bodies and encouraging individuals to revel in the movies’ corny, sweet perfection. Love, in these moments, is love. It’s as simple as that.

But, at the same time, why portray young or first love specifically? Why not, I don’t know, first friendship or first novel read?

One can argue that all of these firsts enrich a person’s life, even if simply because they are the first time one engages with and learns from a particular experience.

But, clearly, not all of these firsts are held equal. Evidently, love, in society’s eyes, has a higher degree of significance.

It’s an interesting tendency, yet the root of it may be within the nature of this romance movie genre I’ve been addressing this entire time.

Like I said before, this genre has been continued through the decades, with the same tropes utilized over and over again. There is honestly a lot of content surrounding young romance. Now, what if by this sheer repetition, young love romances have embedded themselves into the social consciousness? It may not be simply because of the content itself but also the sheer amount of content regarding young love that makes it such a big deal. Art keeps being made about it, so it must be important, right?

With this lens, significance becomes relative. Would that first love experience be such a quintessential experience without these representations?

Think about it.

Until next time,

Alli D.