Are Our Romantic Leads Diverse Enough?
To All The Rom-Coms I’ve Loved Before…
Valentine’s day looked a little different this year, no more getting drunk and kissing bois with questionable morals / pretentious music tastes in clubs.
Though, there’s always next year.
Instead of living out my very own rom-com without the rom, I rewatched my favourites and wondered how much better they would be if they were a little bit more diverse. Okay… diverse at all.
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I'm all in favour of romantic comedies. Having grown up with all the stories of romance from friends, family and in the books I read, it's no surprise that I'm obsessed with them. I'm honestly not a single bit ashamed of it either, and why should I be? Love stories + comedy + absolute trash? YES. They make me feel all fuzzy and lovey for an hour and a half, in a way that scrolling on Tinder can’t.
That said, there is something to be said about the overall negative nature of these 'rom coms' ... they are likely heteronormative, normally sexist and sometimes terribly written but we’re getting to that.
Oh, and white!
As I revisited the classics this Valentines; When Harry Met Sally, 10 Things I Hate About You, Notting Hill, 13 going on 30, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Holiday (I think about when Jack Black plays Iris’ melody daily) and so many more, I was reminded of the painful fact, that all these dreamboats that I have crushed on for years and clearly still to this day are:
Straight, white, pretty basic men *facepalm*
And so are the female characters in these movies, who also for some reason are always writers (guilty as charged) or publishers?
Of course, there are a few exceptions and the world of romance is for sure getting more and more diverse.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Netflix
I remember watching To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before movie a few years ago and seeing Lara Jean’s dad attempt to make Korean food (spoiler: badly) and even though it sounds cliche, I felt seen. That’s 100% my dad with Filipino food.
The fact that I’d never seen an Asian female lead in a romantic comedy before is actually disappointing though.
Even though rom-coms are labelled as trashy, fluff and downright guilty pleasures, that doesn’t mean that they aren’t important.
Seeing yourself in the media is essential, especially in love! Everyone should be able to watch a movie and see themselves - not the same boring love triangle with a blonde, brunette and an average-looking guy that we’ve all seen hundreds of times.
When someone asks us what our favourite rom-com with a person of colour lead is, we shouldn’t have to wrack our brain to think of one. I mean, how many romance movies has Hugh Grant been in alone? No disrespect, but I think Hollywood can put a bit more effort in. And not tokenistic effort - real movies with real-life stories, please!
Someone Great, Netflix
Really though, a few movies with POC and non-straight leads isn’t gonna cut it, there’s so much more to address.
The lovely Tan France from Queer Eye recently launched a campaign to address inclusivity and diversity in fashion, but it feels relevant in romantic fiction too. Tan’s principles include topics such as respect, gender identity, race, sexuality and disability.
When we think of inclusivity in romantic comedies, we may think about race and sexuality and there has been a definite surge in bringing a range of stories to our screens - which has to be praised!
However, romance movies still hardly ever address gender identities and disabilities (or if they do, they end up playing into stereotypes, which isn’t cool either). So Netflix, fix up.
Everyone deserves love, so why don’t we get to see it all? Preferably as a magical musical lovey-dovey moment.
Never Have I Ever, Netflix
So to all the great rom-coms, I’ve loved before… step aside.
In the meantime, here are my top recommendations that stray from the average-yet-loveable romances you’ve seen probably loads of times already:
Crazy Rich Asians
Nappily Ever After
Jane The Virgin (TV SHOW)
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before
Always Be My Baby
Love and Basketball
She’s Gotta Have It (TV SHOW)
Love, Simon
Someone Great
Never Have I Ever (TV SHOW)
What’s your favourite romantic comedy?
Written by Danielle Conlon
Danielle is a Filipino born, North-East girl at heart who’s lived in London and Barcelona the past few years only to find herself back up North (UTB) since Ms Pandemic. She now spends her days writing about food, travel, anything funky and dancing (badly).