Being single isn’t exactly glamorous. It’s pretty easy to wear sweatpants all day (or week) long and not wash your hair for days on end because you’re not looking to impress anyone, but according to the movies, it’s both a charmed life and a totally sucky one, depending on the character and the film. Whether you’re a hopeless romantic who loves a good rom-com or you claim to hate these types of movies (while secretly enjoying them), here are some signs that your life is a lot like a romantic comedy these days. Hopefully, you’ll get your own happily ever after sooner rather than later.
- You resist finding love when it presents itself. The true classic 10 Things I Hate About You has arguably the most feminist romantic comedy character of all time: Julia Stiles’ angry, indie rock-loving, smart, and sassy bookworm Kat. She’s super content to be on her own, but would rather gag than admit she’s actually happy without a relationship. If this describes you, it’s okay to want to keep your cheesy thoughts to yourself, and it’s also okay to want to tell the world (or at least your circle of BFFs).
- You’re always your true self, even when a guy eventually comes along. Think Andie in Pretty in Pink. She makes her own clothes and refuses to feel bad about her low-class status. She may get the guy in the end, but you just know she’ll never change who she is.
- You’ve got a totally platonic BFF of another sex. Andie and Ducky, Harry and Sally – the list goes on. No one can understand why you guys aren’t hooking up, but you believe 100 percent that a guy and a girl can be best friends. And if in the future you do end up with him, well, you can just go ahead and blame Hollywood, because so many friends become so much more than that by the time the end credits roll.
- You’d rather look like you than a perfect version of yourself. The makeover movie should definitely be its own genre. Every girl that’s gotten a new look, from Tai in Clueless to Cady in Mean Girls to Laney in She’s All That, has realized she liked herself better before. This describes you if you’ve ever smiled at your reflection when you’ve gotten a haircut because, yeah, you look good, but you’re just as happy when you’re sprawled out on the couch with a messy top-knot and your favorite sitcom. You know having a “Succession” marathon is more fun when you’re single, anyway.
- You’re that quirky/somewhat flaky girl in your friend group. You keep everyone entertained because you have new interests all the time, but you can also be chronically late and a bit forgetful (hey, you’re only human). You’re basically Summer in (500) Days Of Summer and everyone thinks you’re just so cool and mysterious.
- You Julia Roberts every first date. Can we use Julia Roberts as a verb? I believe we can when it comes to her alter-leaving ways in the classic Runaway Bride. Okay, so you’re not ready for marriage yet, but you are never happy with any first date you go on. And who can blame you when first dates can be so awkward? Yep, your life is definitely like a romantic comedy.
- You’ve learned to live with your weirdness. Like Sam in Garden State who has a borderline embarrassing snort/laugh and just can’t stop lying 24/7, you know you have your weird moments and you aren’t ashamed one bit.
- You can finally admit it: you’re a worrier. Some of us are just naturally born worrywarts and you’ve always been this way, even when you’ve been in a relationship, but your tendency to be more than a little uptight seems to get so much worse when you’re single, AKA Katherine Heigl in any movie. You’re working on it. It’s not your fault there are so many things that could potentially go wrong at any moment.
- Right now, your career dreams are way more important. You’re single by choice and you wouldn’t want it any other way, because you’re killing it at work these days. You may not be a journalist or writer but if you were in a rom-com, that would, of course, be your job.
- You’re still open to love because you know you don’t need a guy – you just want one. The best rom-com single girls are the ones who love themselves and would rather die than change for a guy – yet they still want to be with someone. And that describes you 100 percent.
