Disney lied about my prince coming for me on a white horse while animals sing with the sun shining in a perfect blue glimmer sky to live happily ever after. Instead he wears affliction shirts, spends an enormous amount of time watching sports and the only sound I hear from animals is when my dog is barking. But, I’m not complaining.
One of the most important things I have learned in the past year is that relationships take work. The glamorized idea of relationships and love in Hollywood does not exist, well maybe in moments, and there are just going to be morning where you simply dislike the person lying next to you. Usually you get over it by the time you have finished your cereal, but still.
With all of the hard work and dedication that goes into relationships though, I am dismayed by how many people truly do not respect others relationships. For example, I have had men approach me in the past year and ask me the familiar question, are you single? This is fine, I definitely respect a man who has the courage to come up to any woman, but what offends me is when I reply and get this response – What does that mean to me?
Well it means I am unavailable and now, if I ever were to become single, you have been put on my list of “undateable” persons. First of all because you have disrespected me and secondly, you have made yourself look like a player.
My favorite definition of this word is at urbandictionary.com. Player is defined as “a male who is skilled at manipulating (“playing”) others, and especially at seducing women by pretending to care about them, when in reality they are only interested in sex. Possibly derived from the phrases “play him for a fool”, or “play him like a violin”.”
Anyways, our culture, especially my generation, has a vital issue already on our hands about relationships and where they are going. The internet is filled with advice, studies and articles about how to handle them and what they mean. We are mocked about our uninhibited views and activities regarding them, while we search for a way to make them work for us.
The biggest problem I see with them is that somewhere we have lost respect for what it means to actually be in a relationship and we are not honest with ourselves about what we want from others.
It doesn’t bother too much about what other people do in their personal lives concerning intimate relations with others. I respect their decisions to be committed to one, casually date or not date at all. Of course I hope that everyone is aware of things like STDs and makes choices that don’t take a toll on them mentally or physically.
I just want the same respect back.