Self Love in Pop Culture

A fad?

It's such an elusive concept, this 'self-love.'

See, conventional love is something that's always been there from time immemorial. So we know all about it. But self-love is a fairly new concept that's been slowly disseminating for a couple of years.  

Certainly, the call for self-love has always existed. But never before have we seen the message so widespread in the mainstream discourse.

Copious amounts of films are reproducing the notion of this self-love lately. Films like "I feel pretty" and "Isn't It Romantic," to name a few, have been churning out the 'I love me' slogans in their plots.

So is this 'self love' simply a cultural fad?

A little caprice to light up the depressingly blue society? A much-needed sip of sweet caramel macchiato to numb us from the bitter reality of love?

Or is it here to stay?

Will self-love replace the run-of-the-mill romantic comedy films and position itself at the epitome of popular culture?  

I hope for the latter.

Sure, I like me a classic rom-com movie with the aesthetics and the sweet talks and the butteries and all...

But this new discourse is inspiring.

They teach us to find hope, not in an external entity, but internally within us.

It may sound cliche and a bit cringy. It may be self-evident.

Yet as a girl who grew up with the Hollywood rom-com industry, I was almost conditioned to seek boys. I sought romance though I fully knew that it was an illusion created to sell love and sex.

So it's a breath of fresh air to see films propagating messages of self-love. Embrace yourself first, put yourself first, etc, etc.

It's really a long-overdue break from the intense, competitive, defeatist neoliberal mentality. Instead of working to your bones, just relax and enjoy. Don't beat yourself up too much! You are perfect, you've always been perfect, and it's time to see that for yourself and love the way you are now.

Frankly speaking, I love this dialogue. Partly because I'm so hard on myself. I need the popular media to tell me to "take a break and love myself" so I don't feel so ashamed when I actually do.

I need external sources to condition me into believing that I am worthy of self-love. Clearly, from the looks of it now, I can't do that on my own.

Well, so all in all, I want this discourse to stay. Though I am a little bothered that this conception will exacerbate the dismantling of the already hyper-individualistic society, be as it must for I really gotta put me first now.