Remember the days when people took the time to get to know each other? Boy and girl meet, they go out to dinner and a movie. If money's tight, maybe a picnic in the park. I've noticed that good old-fashioned romance has started to disappear.
We have moved into the age of real-life romance being reduced to a form of scripted entertainment based on drama for higher ratings. Never been a The Bachelor or The Bachelorette fan, but I have watched those celebrity "looking for love" shows. They were my guilty pleasure. I loved watching "the catch" insist that the desperate contestants make fools of themselves to win one on one time. But the shows weren't romantic at all. One man or woman swapping amoebae with twenty different people left a bad taste in my mouth.
Some of you may have seen a recent Facebook post of mine that described a pheromone party. Women put their recently worn panties in a baggie with a number. Men sniff the baggie and take a picture with the number. If the owner of the number likes the way the man looks, she goes and talks to him. The idea originally started with a t-shirt. I don't know what wise guy changed it to drawers, but sniffing clothes is just plain weird. Would you date a guy that wanted to sniff your clothes? Is this what romance has been reduced to? People sniffing each other like dogs in heat?
A friend of mine who is not a writer, told me how much she loved Fifty Shades of Gray. I'm not going to trash the book, or the series. I've never read it. Even if I had, I wouldn't trash it. That's not what I do. But I digress. What she liked about it had nothing to do with the sex. It was the "unbelievable" romance between Christian and Anna. She didn't want reality, she wanted the thrill of the fantasy. It's what made us love movies like Pretty Woman. Rich man falls for a hooker. Come on, did you really buy that? I didn't, but I love that movie anyway.
This brings me to the subject of romance novels. They've changed over the last few decades. Want a sweet romance? It's there. Like S&M? There's a novel for that. Three ways? All you have to do is click a button. Vamps, werewolves, or shapeshifters anyone? All of the above? Browse Amazon, or any bookstore. I'm sure they've got your flavor.
With all of the newest trends, I wouldn't be surprised if a pheromone party wouldn't find it's way into a book. Or has it already?
I miss the way romances used to be. They're still there, but hard to find. I don't blame anyone--time marches one--but change isn't always an improvement. Sniffing underwear REALLY isn't an improvement!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Shawn.
I saw your post the other day...and I'm still icked out by it! I'm all for ways people can connect but that is just...odd.
ReplyDeletePS: Not a fan of The Bachelor/Bachelorette, either. It just all seems fake - especially when they call off the 'engagement' within a couple weeks.
Hear, hear!
ReplyDeleteSniffing a stranger's underwear...Okaaay...to each his own. If it hasn't shown up in a romance novel yet, it will. Art imitates life.
ReplyDeleteDelaney, it has indeed shown up in a romance novel. Well, it's actually Chick Lit.
ReplyDeleteIn my book, Dirty Laundry, there is a scene where the boyfriend of my character, Simone wants to smell her panties because he thinks she's been cheating. This both enrages and excites her.
Believe it or not, this idea came from some ladies I know who reported that their men request to smell their panties on a regular basis! I know, stranger than fiction - only it's true.
You can check out the link at my blog under S*it My Characters Say: http://chantarandblog.com/shit-my-characters-say/
Ugh. I saw that FB post and I about hurled. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteChanta, A girlfriend of mine said her ex did that, for the same reason. That's why he's her ex. D'Ann, I didn't want to hurl but the first thing I thought of was a man coming up to me and saying, "Smelled your underwear and just had to get to know you better."
ReplyDeleteThis is the reason I write historicals and have been married for 29 years. I really don't want to start dating again. That was just gross
ReplyDelete