Pretending to be the Main Character in a 2000s Rom-Com
Because pretending to be in love is almost as good as the real thing.
Have you ever felt like you had a personal connection to the main character in a TV series or movie? Almost like it wasn’t really Lola falling in love with Kyle in LOL, it was you. I mean, didn’t we all go through a phase of wanting to date someone our parents didn’t approve of anyway…
Through the ups, the downs, the heartbreaks, and the newfound romances that Rom-Coms bring us, maybe the reason we so desperately want to be the “main character” is that we too, want to romanticize what it’s like to date in the 20th century.
The “main character” can be described as someone who sees their life “through a lens, that encourages them to confidently take charge of their own personal narrative.” The idea of being a “main character” is fairly new, as members of Gen Z have just recently created a trend that was hyper fixated on this idea of living your “main character moment” and having “this fleeting sensation of intense elation.”
While we all wish we could have a true main character moment like Blair and Serena in Gossip Girl, who are constantly surrounded by the back-and-forth drama, the breakups, the makeups, the hookups, and much more. Or be like Jane and Kevin from 27 dresses and scream Bennie and The Jets on top of a bar at a random pitstop with your one true love—it will just never be that easy.
Unless a series comes out that romanticizes being ghosted by your Tinder hookup, we will have to continue rewatching the fictitious fairytale romances that Hollywood Rom-Coms provide us.
But what if I told you there was an easier way to become the main character in a Rom-Com without having to rewatch Dex and Rachel hide their affair from Darcy in Something Borrowed for the 100th time?
Popular streaming apps like Spotify and Apple Music have been crowned the hub of curated playlists. Whether the playlist title is as simple as “fall hits” or as specific as “what the leaves listen to when they change colors,” you are guaranteed to find a playlist that fits your current mood with a simple word search.
Let’s say you just finished watching “The Holiday” and have possibly just eaten your way through an entire bowl of popcorn. You got to see Amanda and Graham end happily ever after in the UK, after multiple dramatic scenes that left you craving more. The movie ends, the credits begin to play, and your room darkens. What do you do next?
Do you…
A. Cry because you are touch-deprived?
B. Reminisce about the joyful times you spent with your ex?
C. keep riding on the high of that “fleeting sensation of intense elation” that I mentioned earlier?
If you chose C, you are just in luck. Here is the perfectly curated playlist for anyone that’s craving a Rom-Com plot in their own life. Whether you’re falling in love for the first time, going through a heartbreak, or kissing the boy your parents don’t approve of, this playlist will be your go to soundtrack.
I present to you: Pretending to be the Main Character in a 2000’s Rom-Com:
With featured artists like Finneas, Bazzi, Taylor Swift, and Lorde, you’re guaranteed to go through that same wave of emotions that the main character does in one of those classic Hollywood rom-com films.
To single out a few of my personal favorites on the playlist, my go-to main character songs include “Make You Mine” "by PUBLIC , “I Like Me Better" by Lauv and “Let’s Fall in Love for the Night” by FINNEAS. Each of these songs hint at finding your person and feeling like the puzzle piece you’ve been missing in your life has finally been found.
Specifically looking at Lauv’s song “I Like Me Better” he speaks about the connection two individuals have with one another where they can talk and connect for hours. In his lyrics he states “midnight into morning coffee, burning through the hours talking” which expresses how the connection you have with another person can feel infinite and like time is revolving around you.
This idea of time feeling infinite is something one can only dream of finding within another person. Right now, finding that special connection may feel impossible, but when it’s the right time you won’t have to pretend any longer.
Whether you want to scream this playlist in the car, sit in bed and cry, or listen to it as you get ready for a *hot* date, I hope it feeds you with the main character energy that we all need once in a while.
Happy listening!