ABSTRACT
The popularity of romance movies and films’ and its ability to impact audience members may support the argument that audience members seek out these movies in order to learn more about romance. Most researchers believe television presents a distorted view of romantic relationships and if this holds true, this creates potentially damaging narratives of Black Love for audience members. C. Hendrick and S. Hendrick’s “Six Love Styles” include passionate love, game-playing love, friendship love, practical love, possessive/dependent love and altruistic love. Love was commonly displayed through physical affection, acts of service and words of affirmation. Hendrick and Hendrick’s love styles identified all aspects of the way people love, addressing both the idealistic and practical ways people love. The chapter shows that all-encompassing love is not a frequent occurrence in movies directed by Black women, the slight advancement in relationship representation provided counter-narratives to the lack of love Black women give and receive in media depictions.
