Chick Flicks

I'm the brunette, transgender woman.

Lots of people have a favorite movie genre. Sure, some people like all sorts of movies, but for most of us, there are one or two genres that we just love to watch. For me, that has always been the chick flick, the romantic comedy.  I didn’t like that I like them. Imagine being out camping with the guys (I was a member of the Boy Scouts), and they’re talking about whatever the latest action movie is, and all you can mention is Sleepless in Seattle. That’s a good time, for sure! Then imagine what that's like in an Army barracks!

One thing boys do is that everyone is expected to prove their manhood on an ongoing basis. You’re expected to act tough, and manly, like manly things, do manly things. So it is important for boys to be able to hold their own in conversations about manly things. It was awkward, as a youngster, liking the movies you aren’t supposed to like. I felt like less of a person. A failure. That might not make sense, but it was the reality, for me. It made me ask, not for the first time, what was wrong with me.

As a single Soldier, I tended to avoid the group movie nights because I simply wasn’t much into that style of movie. I feel like that cost me a few friends, along the way, by me not connecting with others. But then, maybe the fact that I’d actually want to connect with them is what cost me friends.

Later, my wife and I had daughters. With daughters comes a massive barrage of Disney movies. Disney movies bring with them princesses. Lots of princesses. Essentially, the typical Disney movie of the time was a romance, directed at girls. As a result, I was watching lots of princesses, over and over, and I liked the movies. That made me extremely uncomfortable because I wasn't supposed to be into that sort of thing. 

Fast forward to today.

Nowadays, I admit that I like how a good romantic comedy can get to you. They make you feel things, tug at your emotions. They give you that warm feeling. Action movies just don’t do that.

Now, as a middle-aged adult, I’m able to watch what I want to watch, without people questioning it. It’s nice not to have to avoid romantic movies now.