Love and other things
The Romantic movement of the nineteenth century, which celebrated chivalry, beauty, love, and emotion, arguably set a path for twentieth-century feminism by encouraging the perception of women as full human beings, not just commodities. On the flip side, the waning of romantic comedies in the early 2000s—and the boom in movies that fetishized male
... See moreSophie Gilbert • Girl on Girl
Modern relationships are cauldrons of contradictory longings: safety and excitement, grounding and transcendence, the comfort of love and the heat of passion. We want it all, and we want it with one person. Reconciling the domestic and the erotic is a delicate balancing act that we achieve intermittently at best. It requires knowing your partner... See more
Esther Perel • Mating in Captivity
Today, we turn to one person to provide what an entire village once did: a sense of grounding, meaning, and continuity. At the same time, we expect our committed relationships to be romantic as well as emotionally and sexually fulfilling. Is it any wonder that so many relationships crumble under the weight of it all?
Esther Perel • Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence
“It’s not singlehood, dear friend, that hurts; it’s not casual sex, the fluidity of our bonds, nor their ephemeral nature that causes pain.” Rather, it’s the way that power operates in relationships. Desire isn’t a spontaneous, apolitical passion; it’s shaped by the world around us, and by what we’ve been taught to value. Romance operates like a... See more
Hannah Giorgis • Why Does Romance Now Feel Like Work?
