Hot Takes with Jo(seph)!

Hey, divas! It’s me, Jo(seph), one of your favorite co-hosts of your favorite podcasts! I’m excited to be the first to tell you that I’m not only going to subject you to the torture of listening to my opinions; I also get to make you read them, too! How cool is that?!

If you haven’t picked up on it yet, I am chaotic as hell. So, it shouldn’t come as a shock to you when I tell you what my recurring blog series will cover: my hot takes in film and pop culture. I have a lot to say in this realm, obviously. Every so often, I am going to come on here and grace you with my thoughts. Let’s get right into it. Today’s hot take is…

Rom-Com Men Completely Altered Our Dating Mindsets

Now, a lot of the girls out there will probably agree with me, and a lot of the guys will probably hate me for acknowledging this phenomenon. However, it is one that cannot be ignored. The classic romantic comedies of the 90s and 2000s are what first instilled the idea of what love is in millions of young girls and gays around the world. Are we even going to pretend to be shocked that we are all still so obsessed with these guys?

Left: Ben Barry (Matthew McConaughey - How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days 2003); Right: Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger - 10 Things I hate About You 1999)

Think about it. Many would rather stay single than suffer through another bare-minimum relationship, in which the leading guy gives us absolutely nothing. It’s boring, outdated, and we, the leading ladies of the world, deserve better. I think back on some prime movie moments: the way Ben gleams in awe as Andie descends the stairs in her yellow gown in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, or how Patrick Verona does a terrible rendition of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli in 10 Things I Hate About You. These moments were meant to set the bar, and they surely did.

Personally, I have never had the opportunity to be graced with an experience like one of these. On the other hand, I have been an Anna from Notting Hill a number of times. Julia Roberts changed lives with the “I’m just a girl” speech, and it’s something so raw and relatable. Will was so wrong to reject her, but I’m glad he got his ish together and loved her right. 

It’s just a sucky reality we live in. Men like this rarely ever end up existing. Some of our friends are lucky enough to get one of the diamonds in the rough, but for us single girls, it seems impossible. What are we doing so wrong that we cannot get a single grand gesture out of anyone? 

Left: Anna Scott (Julia Roberts - Notting Hill 1999); Right: Wes (Nick Robinson - Voicemails for Isabelle 2026)

As time passed by and rom-com movies changed, so did our expectations. While we still honor and love the originals that raised us, we now see more realistic examples of what we want. Think of Wes in Voicemails for Isabelle. Wes listens to Jill unlike anyone else, and he falls so hard for her. Is it so hard to ask a man to just listen and truly make us feel heard or seen? Validation is a huge thing nowadays. You think they’d understand that by now. Idiots. 

What do you think the world would be like if we didn’t have these iconic lover boys to base everything off of? Would the bar be below sea level? Would anything romantic ever occur, or would they have something programmed in them to just do it? I want to know what great men these writers knew that inspired their leading men. Show me the real one, and confirm for me if he actually acts like the characterized version, please and thank you.

Is it wrong to want to feel like the lead in a rom-com, though? Why is that so terrible? Being treated amazingly, being loved genuinely, and always looking fabulous should just be the standard. There shouldn’t be anything else. I want that kiss in the rain, an angry love confession in a crowded place, or my favorite flowers appearing on my doorstep with the man of my dreams hiding behind the column. Those are tulips, by the way. Just in case any of the men reading fall for me. 

To summarize my moody and gushy thoughts, I don’t think it is so awful that we single people have high expectations for future partners. At the end of the day, we know our worth, and we will never consider settling for less. I think we all deserve to feel like the main character in life, but especially when it comes to love. Without love, we have nothing.

Now, if you need me, I’ll be crying myself to sleep while “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer and “What If” by Colbie Caillat serenade me to sleep. Until next time, divas. And remember, always stay hot and make your case!