Girl's Guide to Life The Real Dish on Growing Up, Being True, and Making Your Teen Years Fabulous

Chapter Two: Romance ; ;So you've seen those cheesy ads I'm sure. You know, the ones filmed in black and white with the guy and girl who are desperately in love, who roll around together in the ocean surf while soft breezes blow their wispy hair all around their faces only to stare at one another with eyes that burn of passion and say in a low, sexy whisper of a voice, "I love to wear Calvin Klein perfume." ;Ya, the ads are pretty lame. For real, who rides their bike straight into oncoming waves while they're wearing a long see-through dress? ;But as lame as the ads can be, they're also pretty serious. The ad is piling up all kinds of references to things we find romantic just to sell a product. Like if the images in the ad remind us of things we love, the idea is that we will think we love Calvin Klein perfume (or whatever product they're selling), too. The whole deal is about hitting people who watch straight in the heart. It's about all about making us feel the romance. ;For girls today, romance can sometimes seem like something from the past. Things that used to be considered romantic-like a guy opening a car door, pulling out a chair from a table, or just generally saving a "damsel in distress"-can seem downright sexist today. Guys who do stuff like this risk being called pigs, jerks, or misogynists (miss-soj-a-nists) because they just won't but out and let girls do their own thing. ;What's a girl to do? It's no lie to admit that a lot of modern girls still go home and dream about a Prince Charming. Wishing a guy would sweep us off our feet might be old-school for modern girls like us, but it's a dream that's still alive. It's a dream in the hearts of tons of girls, all over the place. ;This dream is exactly what reality tv shows like The Bachelor are all about. Even though this is 2003, you can count on getting a whole line of girls who will risk public humiliation for a chance to be swept off their feet-even by a complete stranger. And it's not like the girls who audition are flaky do-nothings. You've got lawyers, businesswomen, nurses, and teachers all lining up for a shot at Prince Charming, himself. ;So the first thing we're going to do in the romance chapter is figure out what kind of girl we are, anyway. Are we the hopelessly romantic type? Or, are we more of a mix of romantic heart and modern head? Check out the two lists below and match up your real feelings about romance. ;11 CLUES YOU'RE A GIRL WHO'S HEART-OVER-HEAD FOR ROMANCE ; ; ; You call radio stations to dedicate songs to guys you like so often that all the DJs know you by name. ; You spend your free time baking cookies in the shape of letters so you can spell out the name of the guy you like. ; Your cell minutes are all used up from text messaging guys you're crushed out on. ; You sing love songs in your head and stick your own name in the lyrics. ; You've actually written a love note on some guy's car with lipstick. ; You're now fluent in three languages, love skateboarding, took up art, and are into video games all because the guy you like is, too. ; You've sent flowers, candy, or gifts to win the heart of a hottie. ; When you and your boyfriend went for pizza, you had the pizza guy arrange all the pepperoni into the shape of a big heart. ; You bought your guy boxers with embroidery that says, "Me and pookie-bear 2-gether, 4-ever." ; You practice signing your first name with his last name. ; You jumpedMeier, Katie is the author of 'Girl's Guide to Life The Real Dish on Growing Up, Being True, and Making Your Teen Years Fabulous' with ISBN 9780849944437 and ISBN 0849944430.