During an appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert, Reese Witherspoon shared her belief that there’s “something’s wrong” with modern dating and she thinks it all comes down to “rom-coms and sitcoms.”
The conversation started when Shepard mentioned a “beautiful” friend who complained that men no longer approach her or her friends in restaurants or bars.
Witherspoon quickly responded: “I have a theory about it. It all has to do with rom-coms and sitcoms.”
She explained: “You know how there’s been, like, the past 10 years, I would even say the past 15 years, this decline in the making of rom-coms? Or, like, legitimate big movie stars being in rom-coms? It’s not just rom-com movies, but I also think of rom-com television shows. The television show that you watched when you were 11, 12 or 13, that made you imagine and visualize dating skills.”
Witherspoon suggested that the lack of romantic portrayals on screen has shaped how young people view dating. “We started going, ‘rom-coms are cringey,’ but it was actually where we learned social dynamics. From Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan.”
Shepard added that seeing romance on screen is especially important for boys, as it helps them realize that “everyone’s terrified” to ask someone out.
“Someone needs to tell you everyone’s equally afraid of it, and you just gotta do it,” he said.
The discussion highlighted how rom-coms and sitcoms, once dismissed as “cringey,” may have played a crucial role in teaching younger generations dating and social skills.
