To be a Journalist in a rom-com in the early 2000’s or not to be
Written By : Hannah Corbett
To be smart, fabulous and the main character in a romantic comedy(that also has the best soundtrack on the planet may I add) is a lot to look up to, let alone work towards. But that's the dream. If you’re anywhere near the age of 25, you grew up watching and yearning to work in Manhattan. Having a diet of coffee and cosmopolitans, and falling in love. Well if you're anything like me, you at least fell in love. Maybe a little bit later than your friends, feeling more and more like the girl in the movie you looked up to who didn't fall in love until the VERY end of the movie. But what I'm beginning to understand is that being twenty five years old is just the beginning of a different movie.
We don't know what happened to Andie Anderson from How to lose a guy in 10 days. Maybe, she went on to write what she wanted and her and Benjamin Barry got married and had kids just like the ones in the very creepy photoshopped scrapbook. Or maybe, something happened and they broke up, and she didn't get the job she wanted. That would make her just like us. But again if you’re ANYTHING like me and my brain, she did get married and have kids and get the job, because that's the dream. To be a journalist in a romantic comedy in the early 2000’s meant that we would get everything that we ever wanted. The job, the shoes, the guy.
Then again, I did live in Manhattan and I did fall in love. But 4 years later I can say that I didn’t get the job, and it definitely wasn't the guy. So what were those stories supposed to do to us? Set us up for heartbreak? Or to make us work harder than ever for a dream to come true.
So say we chase the dream. A dream that feels like it leaped right out of a screen, living for the hope of it all, to live like you really are wandering through a romantic comedy where you’re the star. Even if it sometimes feels more like a blooper reel. You can’t help but swoon over the idea of that perfect moment when everything clicks—like running into your future love in a coffee shop while clutching your latest pitch, or having a serendipitous encounter that leads to your big break. Every awkward mishap feels like a plot twist, and you find yourself daydreaming about epic montages on your way home, complete with a catchy song in the background.
You might trip over your own feet trying to get it to come true, but in your heart, you know it’s just part of the story—one day, you’ll have that dramatic moment of realization where the confetti falls, and everything finally aligns. It’s a beautiful idea, and you’re head over heels for it, convinced that with enough heart and a sprinkle of luck, your life could turn into the feel-good film you’ve always dreamt of. Maybe it already is and you’re only 20 minutes into the movie.
So yeah, to be a journalist in a rom-com in the early 2000’s was all that it sounds like and more. But here’s to being a journalist in real life, in 2024. Connect with people who lift you up, turning friendships into heartfelt alliances. Document your journey through journaling, vlogging, capturing the moments that make life, LIFE. Remember, it’s not just about reaching the “happy ending.” It’s about the way you get there, because after all that's the reason why we love those movies in the first place.