6 Lies Rom-Coms Told Us About Apartments
Whether it’s “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” or “The Seven Year Itch,” the combination of lighthearted romance and witty banter between potential soulmates is intoxicating. Though while it’s a popular and fun form of escapism, romantic comedies stray far from the truth. Relationships rarely start with a meet-cute, and thanks to heightened airport security measures, it is really hard to reconcile at the gate. But these aren’t the only lies we have been fed by rom-coms. Perhaps some of the biggest falsehoods have to do with your new love interest’s living situation and what to expect the first time you head over.
There’s ample space with no roommates (or only one)
Apartments in movies are huge—especially New York apartments. However, that is not always the reality with city dating. Most are small! And the majority of people have roommates. Yet when we see the protagonist take someone home, or go home with someone themselves, they miraculously live in a huge spacious apartment alone. Or only have one roommate. I wish.
A single man will have more than one pillow
What do all of these scenes have in common?: 1) Emma Stone heading home with Ryan Gosling in “Crazy Stupid Love;” 2) Kristen Wiig waking up with John Hamm in “Bridesmaids;” 3) Zoey Deutch climbing up a fire escape to eat pizza on Glen Powell’s floor in “Set It Up.” We see the male love interest’s bed. And do you know what all of those beds have in common? They have more than one pillow. It is scientifically impossible for a single straight male to have more than one thin, barely-even-a-pillow pillow on his bed. If he has two, they are paper thin and the cases probably haven’t been washed since he bought them. Straight dudes just aren’t pillow people. Romantic comedies need to stop perpetuating this lie.
Globes and telescopes are popular decor
This one has seemed to peter off in popularity over the last few years, but one of the most puzzling design choices in a rom-com was the telescope or the globe. If you believed everything a romantic comedy told you, then you would think that every single man between the ages of 16 and 35 has a telescope and/or a globe in his bedroom. But why? What use does a 25-year-old in Brooklyn have for a telescope?! He doesn’t.
There isn’t a “floordrobe” in sight
Have you ever noticed that in every romantic comedy everyone’s rooms are always spotless? It could be the male or female protagonist. Their love interest. A teen. An adult. Everyone has clean rooms. I don’t know about you, but I see a lot of floordrobes (also known as piles of clothing) out in the wild, when dating or just visiting friends, so the fact that they never make an appearance in movies is crazy. Lara Jean Song Covey has a cluttered room in “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” but that is about as close as we get.
The kitchens are fully stocked with top-of-the-line accessories
When I first started dating my college boyfriend, he invited me over for a home-cooked dinner. Do you know what he made me? A triple layer Nutella sandwich. Sure, most adults have more sophisticated kitchen set ups, but you are not going to find All-Clad pans and KitchenAid mixers galore when dating as a 20-something—unless you are dating a chef.
There’s no IKEA furniture to be found
Flat-pack furniture is a millennial staple. And yet, it rarely shows up in the homes of people in romantic comedies. Sure, a MALM bed might not be the sexiest piece of furniture, but it is a standard. Sure we would all love to have $5,000 velvet sofas from Anthropologie, but that’s just not a reality for many in their 20s. More romantic comedies should show that.