'YOU' Is The Only TV Romance You Should Watch This Valentine's Day
Sadly, this relationship is more realistic than most portrayed in the media.
It is possible that upon first glance at the show, "YOU," is just another love story. The typical cliche, the lovey-dovey kind that many shows told before it. However, this is most definitely not the case.
"YOU" invites viewers to watch a young book store clerk named Joe Goldberg to become more and more obsessed with a woman that once entered his bookstore: Beck. No, this new edition to Netflix is not your run-of-the-mill love story where falling in love is easy and your potential love interest is not stalking you. "YOU" will most likely make you terrified to enter a new relationship.
Now, ladies, will every nice man you meet in a book store end up being your stalker? Of course not. Now, could the nice man you meet in a book store end up being your stalker? Possibly, which is all the more reason to watch "YOU" this Valentine's Day.
I would like to start off saying that I adore romantic comedies and soapy TV dramas. I do not care how many times people tell me they are cliche or cheesy or unrealistic. I love them. In my opinion, I'm not looking for my choice in a movie or television show to always ground me in reality. Most of the time, I am desiring the exact opposite actually. So, this is not to say that "YOU" is better than those sorts of movies/shows. However, I do believe that "YOU" offers something that those genres of entertainment do lack.
"YOU" offers watchers a hyper-realistic display of a relationship between an unsuspecting woman and her stalker, a relationship that sadly is much more common than represented in popular media. This dangerous relationship is displayed in a show that will keep you on the edge of your seat while also possibly making you question your likeliness to become victim to a man like Joe. "YOU" shows the gruesome truth behind what 'stranger danger' truly means and, I believe, encourages viewers to be more cautious when it comes to entering new instances of romance. Especially in a modern day where online dating is becoming the norm, it is crucial for young women like Beck, as well as all young adults for that matter, to consider the potential dangers in the dating world, especially when a fair majority of that world takes place on the internet.
I will not spoil the show for any of you, but I will say this: Beck has no idea that this man she has just brought into her life is stalking her every move in person as well as online. Beck and Joe did, in fact, meet in person, and yet here this woman is, entirely unaware that this nice man she just met is monitoring her every move on the internet. It is important to note as well that Beck is not naive or stupid for not realizing that this happening to her. She even took precautions such as giving Joe an email address to contact her when they first met rather than a phone number. However, at this point, Joe already had access to her life on a level she, and no other young woman would have guessed.
Even after being cautious, Beck ended up in a dangerous relationship. This show will make you consider what could happen if you were to take zero precautions in your dating life, to just throw yourself into something new with a person you barely know. It will make you think twice in a world where contact with strangers is encouraged and perfectly normal, and I believe that that is very valuable in our world today.
Also, this show is just crazy addicting and suspenseful. You will probably binge-watch it because you are just so desperate to know what will happen next with Joe Goldberg and his screwed up mind. The show not only will pull you in with a series of dark twists and turns, but also show you that maybe you shouldn't trust that cute guy you met the other day immediately.
But anyways, turn the lights down low to set the mood, snack on some chocolate-covered strawberries, grab your significant other (or a really fluffy pillow) and press play, because "YOU" is what is in store for a perfect Valentine's Day.
People Have More Trust Issues Than Ever Today, Thanks To Social Media
The concept of social media cheating is on the rise.
The dating world has really changed not only within the amount of time that has gone by since our parents have started dating but within the last decade as well due to the rise of social media. Social media is a beautiful thing, more people are connecting on social media from near and far, old friends and in new, and you can learn a lot about a person just from their social media profile.
Social media has also brought the rise of online dating, and what people say, "sliding into the DMs" (sending a direct message) to someone who you think is cute and want to get to know them better has diversified the dating scene ten-fold.
However, when in a relationship and you see how your partner reacts to other people's posts with comments and likes. Thoughts run through your head trying to figure out if your significant other is cheating or not. In 2014, there was a Pew Research study survey that was conducted finding out that 45 percent of millennials say social media has a BIG impact on their relationships.
In an age where we turn to our phones when in silence, is possibly the new silent relationship killer. In fact, you are more likely to reach for your phone after sex, than your partner, which can possibly lead to intimacy issues. It also gives the impression that your partner prioritizes their phone over the relationship.
Also, have you ever seen couples that post pictures together for what seems like almost every day? Post behavior like this is frequently linked to relationships that have more trust issues. With the constant need to reassure your followers that you are 'in a relationship' and maybe to prove to your partner that you are committed to them. I personally have been in a situation like this where I would post an annoying amount of times about my significant other a week, and when I look back and think about it, and through my research, that it really makes sense for people to act this way, and post that much. It's not to reassure your followers, it's to reassure your significant other.
There also comes the complication with likes and comments. Some people can get offended if you like and/or comment on someone's post. It's like having the impression that it 'is more than just a like' and that you are trying to drop hints to that person. I have also been in this situation as well, where I would like a post (that was a guy friend of mine) and my significant other found out. He got really upset with me, and the whole situation turned into a huge fight because he took the like as 'more than just a like' when most of the time, it's not. And this fight wasn't just a one-time thing. Likes and comments on other people's posts can (for some people) be defined as 'social media cheating'. Which yes, can be a thing if you are in a relationship and are messaging people being all flirty and what not. But when it comes to just liking a picture? That really doesn't mean anything at all. Plus, the benefit of the doubt should always be taken if there is nothing to worry about.
With the impression that your partner may be cheating on social media, they can possibly ask for access to your phone, just to keep tabs on what you are doing. I made this mistake with one of my relationships and I learned to find out after the break up that he unfollowed A LOT of my guy friends and would check and see which posts I liked. THAT IS A BIG NO NO. And if it does really come to that, that person has too many trust issues. You can try and work through them, but time and time again if they find something to get mad at you about, the relationship will break.
You can't have a relationship without trust. And with the rise of the concept of 'social media cheating' more and more people are getting skeptical on what their significant others are really up to. Some people make it a bigger deal than it needs to be, but this is still an issue that faces the dating world for the past decade, and probably from here on out!