- Wholesome romantic movies and TV shows convey the innocent and delightful feeling of teenage romance while offering viewers warmth and comfort.
- This subgenre portrays both the light and dark aspects of romantic relationships through an innocent lens, making conflicts more understandable and less fantastical.
- Healthy romantic relationships touch on long-standing issues such as mental health, safe relationships, and diversity, indicating a positive shift in social values and a willingness to tackle these topics.
Remember when you were a teenager and making eye contact with that person could light up your day and give you a flurry of pleasure in your stomach? Well, there is now a whole sub-genre of romantic movies and TV shows that capture and sustain just that feeling. You are constantly filled to the brim with warmth and comfort as each character is introduced and each storyline plays out. Dubbed the “healthy romance”, this genre portrays both the light and dark aspects of a romantic relationship through a purely innocent lens. Conflicts tend to be more mundane, human - they’re complex and can be devastating, but they’re understandable, unlike the need to build a relationship with a vampire.
Healthy romance began to blossom during the pandemic as the “BookTok” niche on TikTok began to thrive. These juvenile romance novels have recently begun filming, offering us a wide range of wholesome content to snuggle up to. Netflix Heartstopper It follows a diverse group of high school students who face serious dark issues such as bullying, sexual abuse, an eating disorder, and an abusive home life. However, it’s filled with fun and cheerful graphic lines that grace the light-hearted scenes of casual hand-to-hand contact with lovers and that idyllic butterfly-inducing first kiss. In a similar way. Prime Video Red, white and royal blue depicts social pressure and coming-out anxiety, surrounded by flashy costumes, toppling cakes and spoiled turkeys. Moving away from strange novels, even To all the boys that I loved before And Summer when I became beautiful combines mental health issues with a charming overlay.
Healthy romance is good escapism
Like many other genres, romance has always been a form of escapism for bookworms and moviegoers alike. We have witnessed many phases of gothic couples’ dark romances that often involved violence, erotic relationships with heavily one-sided power dynamics, and an obsession with fantasy characters. While some novels such as Twilight And 50 shades of grey tend to play on exaggerated and erotic fantasies, healthy romances lean towards more romances filled with emotional and mental comfort. Really it’s like a revival Jane Austen works where more whimsical and innocent novels were presented, especially in contrast to her contemporaries, the Brontë sisters. This also explains the popularity Bridgerton collected at the time of its release, almost as if it were a precursor to the burgeoning subgenre of the healthy novel. A healthy romance also tends to highlight conversations about mental health, safe and comfortable relationships, lifestyle, and gender/sexuality. Given that the romance genre is primarily aimed at a female audience, this major shift could indicate a change in social values among women and what we now fantasize about relationships.
However, there are some critics who actually find this disappointing, arguing that the genre’s popularity is a red flag for society’s progress. Why should we flee to a world that is dominated by respectful relationships, compassion for mental health issues, and acceptance of diversity? Does this mean that our basic needs are increasingly not being met in real life? As depressing as it may sound, I’ll give you one more thing: these needs have never been met. Mental health used to be a taboo subject, many people still don’t even acknowledge its existence, and patients are often misunderstood and ostracized. Relationships have always been, and still are, at risk of becoming an unhealthy or even violent environment for many people. In the past, people were targeted based on their gender and/or sexual orientation, and discrimination still exists. These are old and current problems that have not just miraculously appeared in the last couple of years - we just finally decided to tackle them now. If anything, these love- and security-fueled fantasies that manifest as healthy romances actually suggest that we are becoming more aware of and more willing to talk about these issues. By lowering our fantasies from dating vampires to respectful relationships, we demonstrate that we are finally ready to bring to light these issues that have traditionally been ignored.
A healthy romance solves long-standing problems more effectively
On the surface, healthy novels might seem to address these issues with rose-colored glasses, but the softness that envelops darker themes really only makes them more accessible to a wider audience. In particular, queer films and shows are often accompanied by nudity, sex scenes, violence, and illegal substances. Even later shows like sex education And The grief of a broken heart may alienate younger queer audiences. Wholesome romance novels give the queer community a platform to actually illustrate how innocent and bizarre teen gay romance can be. Romances of the type Heartstopper And Red, white and royal blue Make sure flippancy and surprise stay at the forefront, not only to get us excited, but more importantly, to get us involved. They feature whimsical scenarios based on real-life problems faced by almost every member of the community. And therein lies the true charm of healthy romances—they offer sanctuary to normally marginalized communities.
Due to their inclusiveness and ability to deal with more mundane issues, Healthy Romance tends to be far more entertaining than previous romance films for young adults. Instead of presenting a narrator who “feels different” and ends up as some kind of “chosen one”, healthy romances connect random people in the most improbable but believable scenarios. Subsequently, when the topic of mental health issues comes up, it is framed as a problem for the average person - as if anyone can go through it and therefore anyone can experience it. This kind of mental health formulation offers much more hope than the “chosen one” mindset, especially since the characters are usually surrounded by safe and caring relationships that work like an impeccably built support network. You don’t need a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to feel good, just the right friends and family. Healthy romances tend to contain this slightly more achievable idea, and while it might just be a fantasy right now, it’s more achievable than putting your life in danger to appreciate it. But in the end, is it really that bad if movies and TV shows play out our fantasies of wanting to be safe, happy, and loved?
Source: Collider
I have worked as a journalist for over 7 years and have written for many different publications. I currently work as an author at Daily News Hack, where I mostly cover entertainment news. I have a great deal of experience in the industry and am always looking to learn more. I am a highly motivated individual who is always looking to improve my skills. I am also a very friendly and personable person, which makes me easy to work with.
