Most teenagers today grow up watching movies that feature romantic scenarios between lovers, whether it be a kiss, an argument, or even sex. These types of films have been popular since the beginning of time and continue to gain more attention every year.
Do they have a negative impact on how young people view love? In this essay, we will discuss how cinematic repetition of dramatic love scenes desensitizes adolescents to real emotional tenderness and its consequences on their relationships later in life.
1. Teenage hormones are high
Adolescence is a stage of development where many physical changes occur. At this age, individuals' bodies start to produce certain hormones that cause them to become more physically aware. The release of these hormones causes various feelings and thoughts, including lustful ones. Due to their heightened state of awareness, it makes sense why so many teens would want to experience sexual intimacy through movies. Unfortunately, when they watch too much of this type of thing on screen, their ability to distinguish reality from fiction may diminish.
2. Movies glamorize relationships
Many times, what happens in movies does not reflect actuality. This includes the way couples behave with one another.
Many teens believe that having a relationship means you must always say "I love you" or act like everything is perfect all the time. While there is nothing wrong with saying those things sometimes, this idea creates unrealistic expectations for future partnerships.
Some movies portray abusive behavior as normal in a romance. A 2018 study found that nearly half of young adults said they had witnessed violence between characters in movies and TV shows.
3. Adolescents lack knowledge about sex
Even though it can be embarrassing to discuss sex education, most parents don't teach their kids enough about it before letting them venture out into the world alone. As such, they rely heavily on media sources like films for guidance. In doing so, they are exposed to images that could lead to harmful habits later down the line if left unchecked. When adolescents see certain behaviors over and over again without knowing anything else about them, they might replicate these actions themselves without fully understanding the consequences behind them.
Cinematic repetition of dramatic love scenes desensitizes adolescents to real emotional tenderness by exposing them to too much physical intimacy without educating them about how healthy relationships work. Without proper guidance from parents and teachers, teenagers may form unhealthy patterns that affect their future relationships. It is up to adults to ensure that children understand what true love looks like so that they will have successful romantic connections throughout life.
How does cinematic repetition of dramatic love scenes desensitize adolescents to real emotional tenderness?
The overuse of romantic tropes in movies can result in adolescent audiences becoming emotionally detached from real intimacy in their lives as they become accustomed to exaggerated displays of affection that lack genuine feeling or sincerity. This phenomenon is known as "desensitization," which refers to the process by which repeated exposure to something causes an individual to lose sensitivity to its impact.