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The True Dangers of Being a Hopeless Romantic
As told by a woman who lived through and survived the toxic trope that continues to traumatize to this day.
Ever since I was young, I’ve undeniably been a hopeless romantic.
Romantic comedies were my favourite to watch, and I was in a constant state of daydreaming about that moment when I would meet “The One” and just know it was true love.
Even Disney told me, from when I could first understand the media I was watching, that true love was supposed to be found in a sliver of a moment, and that love can overcome all.
That if you fight hard enough for someone, you can change their heart.
That if you stick around long enough, you can make everything better if only you love enough.
It is that exact narrative that brings along with it a dangerous twin — the narrative of unrealistic, damaging expectations.
I fell victim to every hopeless romantic trope I believed when I first fell in love — and it led to my being in a terribly abusive relationship and not leaving as soon as I should have.
