A man does not have to be a prince for him to treat a woman like a princess.
I dreamed of wearing a ball gown and meeting my Prince Charming.
He would be handsome, romantic, andwell, naturallycharming.
I have lived my whole life believing in fairytales.
When I grew out of princess movies, I moved on to romantic comedies.
I watched as every leading lady found her happily-ever-after.
Unsplash / Park Troopers
She got everything she ever wanted: a man and true love.
They got engaged or married shortly after the on-screen kiss.
It was a perfect ending to a perfect love story.
However, it is these dreams that turned my 20s into a nightmare.
I have only now begun to realize that these movies are selling lies.
I have spent twenty-two years waiting for love-at-first-sight.
And you know what, I could wait fifty more years and would still need glasses to find it.
Even Prince William does not fit the Disney mold (and he is a real-life prince).
The man depicted in every princess movie is merely a character created to boost societal gender roles.
He does not exist.
Media representations of love create impossible expectations.
They present a vision of what love is supposed to look like.
It is supposed to be chivalrous, romantic, and passionate.
The strong and suitable man is supposed to save damsels in distress.
A white horse is supposed to make for a happily-ever-after, storybook ending.
Unfortunately, this bang out of love exists only there: a storybook.
I constantly sabotage my own happiness with the impossible standards I create.
I find myself hoping that everything about him will be perfect.
He will walk the walk and talk the talk.
I am the one that needs to change.Love will never look or feel like it does in the movies.
I need to retrain my brain to be more open and accepting of others flaws.
I am truly tired of everyone not living up to my impossible expectations.
The day I can start accepting people for all their imperfections will be a freeing day.
Freeing me from all the disappointment and shattered hopes.
With all this being said, Disney has not completely failed me.
If I have gained any insight over the years it would be to always fall for the beast.
