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People say finding someone gets easier as you get older, but that could not be further from the truth. When I was younger, I believed in fairytales and finding Prince Charming, but that is not the world we live in. Numerous dating apps and websites make it extremely difficult to find “The One” in this day and age and – this coming from a twenty-year-old who has utilised most of these websites and apps – it sucks.
I am surely not the only person who has wondered if true love is in their future while standing by silently watching friends and family form relationships and later get married. Sometimes I think I am destined to be a woman with twenty-seven cats to fill the void I have, and other times I think I will find the perfect person for me, but I am sure I am not the first person who has thought about this. The majority of the problem is largely due to the portrayal of finding true love in the media. A regular human being would never disguise himself or herself as someone completely different to meet a complete stranger who turns out to be their true love- that is just illogical.
Fairytales and picture-perfect movie romances are not realistic. At least not for the average person, and while there may be a few exceptions to people having a romance straight out of a film adaption of a romance novel, it is not possible for everyone to achieve so stop thinking you will, because the odds are against you. When all you want is to be wanted it is easy to get sucked into the idea of a fairytale romance and maybe doing anything to try and find yourself in a fairytale situation, but not everyone can have that fairytale romance. Fairytales, romance novels, and romantic comedies give females unrealistic expectations when it comes to finding a man to spend the rest of their lives with.
Originally, I envisioned a man with deep brown hair, striking blue eyes, and a little facial hair who was around 6’0”, but as I matured, I realised what I wanted was oddly specific and not many men would fit the category, because looks are not the only thing that matter. Now, while I am still a sucker for a man with dark hair and light eyes, I am more concerned with whether he and I will click or not. It sounds like common sense, but it is astonishing just how many people put looks and physical attraction before personality. I could have the most handsome guy in the world, but he would probably be one of the most boring people I have ever met. Would a romantic relationship based only on physical attraction work out in the long run? I’ve had relationships like this, and I can tell you those lustful relationships don’t last, because you lose interest if you only like a person because of how they look. That’s why dating websites and applications don’t work: they’re al about looks, not about getting to know the person.
I cannot tell you how many times I have been introduced to a new dating website or app and gotten my hopes up; thinking this time would be different. I thought logging onto a new dating website would change the results, but I was wrong. I thought my Prince Charming would be waiting on a website I just started using, but finding Prince Charming is not as easy as I thought it would be since most people are only seeking instant gratification and don’t want to take the time to get to know someone on a deeper level. Sometimes, what we are looking for is right under our nose and we don’t even realize it, but other times what we’re looking for is far out of our reach.
No matter how many new ways are introduced to find your Prince Charming the truth is, he will come along at the right time. The media romanticising everyday encounters has been ingrained in our heads as something we need to seek out in order to be happy, but seeking something, or someone, out does not do any good. Going out of your way to find a significant other does not work out well. Often times, the other person may want you to give up part of yourself in order to appease them, but I don’t want to give up anything. The reality of finding Prince Charming is that he will come along when he does. Until then live your life without worrying about if you will end up with twenty-seven cats or a fairytale romance, because everything will fall into place eventually.
About tessmhanson
Tess Hanson is a second year Communication Studies major at Central College in Pella, Iowa in the United States and has always been extremely passionate about writing and the media. Her primary goal is to get people to think more deeply about themselves and the world around them.
