the first smart girlfriend narrative

2024, june 5

in movies and tv shows, we often see this moment when a smart dream girl comes into a guy’s life, and he’s completely baffled by it. usually, he’ll say something like: “this is the first time i’m dating a smart girl, i’m not used to this!”

let me rant about three things here: first, i find the idea of guys having a preference for dumb girls to be ridiculous. second, it’s outrageous to assume you can find stupid girls everywhere, as if they’re readily available. third, it’s offensive to dismiss low intelligence, as if a kind-hearted person with less brains isn’t incredibly valuable. of course, in the movies, stupidity usually implies being mean, too. but it’s absurd to equate stupidity with being mean and, above all, with availability.