Im not sure about Disney movies, tv, rom-coms, etc. affecting my EXPECTATIONS of relationships, but it may have affected my standards. Aladdin was (and still is) my favorite Disney movie, and perhaps the message of "love who you love no matter their social class/race/appearance/etc" affected me. Really the only major requirement I have for a boyfriend is that he love me for me, not who he wants me to be. Ive had boyfriends who try to change me-thats the one thing I cant put up with under any circumstances.

Oh Jesus--and nowadays, all the shows are sperm competitions or love triangles

Crap, let's hope TV doesn't define relationships for our kids.

Our society and culture will ingrain some sort of fantasy notion in our minds at a young age of what our life "should" be. I agree that T.V., especially Disney, has a significant impact on how we view relationships. Television and other electronic entertainment devices are being used more and more as babysitters rather than the actual parents teaching their children any moral codes, values, or lessons. So if you won't raise your kids, MTV and Disney will do it for you. And you have no one to blame but yourself for their crappy behavior when they grow up.

In the end both genders place ridiculous and unattainable standards for the other (or whichever they prefer) to meet.

And yes these romantic notions have always been around (although they constantly change with each generation), just from different sources. Prior to T.V. it was radio, and prior to that it was books, before that there were plays and the theater (when most people were illiterate I mean), and then there's good ole' fashioned oral storytelling.

In the end if your going to live your life based upon a T.V. show or character be ready for life to give you a wake up call and subsequent bitch slap.

@HollowTendencies@xanga - yup 100%  it existed before TV and will forever

i think when we start relationships we do but once we get into them and realize that it's nothing like it's portrayed on tv and the movies, we change our minds.  it's definitely so innocent to think that way.  we shouldn't be tainted by love the first time.

I think when we were kids, tv programs were much "milder" in its effect to influence us in how we view relationships. I didn't watch teenage moms complain about going to prom while trying to find a babysitter for the night. I didn't want Kate plus 8, screaming at her family and her kids on reality tv. I watched Disney Movies about Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid and Bambi.

Granted, Disney love stories often had impossible feats to overcome and live happily ever after. They never really explain what happens AFTER they get married, or ride into the sunset. And at that age, I doubt any one of us questioned the ending of a movie or a story. "But mom, what happened AFTER they lived happily ever after? Did they have kids? Did they go on a trip?" See?

I worry about my kids watching Spongbob, Dora the Explore and eventually MTV shows too early in their childhood. It's much more toxic then the stuff I was allowed to watch or even seeked out at that age. I wonder why...are we needing more radical sh!t to make an impact in our desensitized way of thinking or does it just keep getting worse on top? *sigh* I do worry.

This certainly is a possibility. I knew ever since I was a little girl that I wanted my own Prince Charming. I knew I wanted him to be tall, pale, with dark hair, bright eyes, and a bright smile. I always identified with Snow White, Belle, and Ariel in a few ways back then, as well, and wanted my future husband to be a mixture of their very own princes. (And yes, at three years old, I thought about stuff like this) I've certainly kissed a ton of frogs, and got beaten up by a few of those toads, but never in my dreams did I think I'd be in the relationship that I'm in now. It's like God wrote my own fairy tale, and I love it.