“Normalize romances in which there is no relationship at the end.”

This is common trope in Drama, Horror, Tragedy, Mysteries, etc. It is already normalized.

In fact, it’s so common it’s the cause of death for majority women in romantic relationships mainstream media.

“Normalize romances in which there is no relationship at the end.”

Every single film in the James Bond franchise has one of those. You’ve just described a majority of queer stories.

If you want media where there’s romance and even sex, but doesn’t culminate in a long term romantic relationship.

We’ve got plenty of those too. They’re called erotica.

Queer folks are over represented in that genre too.

Casablanca is a Drama with romantic subplot.

R&J is a romantic Tragedy.

This not “Romance stans” being unreasonable.

It is a supposed expect clearly not having a basic understanding of the difference between genres, subplots, and romantic relationships in media.

This is why all my examples are from TV and Movies, because this is inaccurate, though i understand the intent.

It issue isn’t women being treated and conditioned to view themselves as accessories to men, objects in men’s stories. A love interest, a wife, a reward.

Romance (among other things) is a response to mainstream media that centers men as well as their wants, desires, and needs. Romance gave women a place to prioritize themselves. To imagine stories where they were the center, where they are loved by men they desire and respect.

These stories are shaped by patriarchy, because neither they nor do we live in a vacuum.

Romance has and still often does center on a HEA that looks like patriarchal, heteronormative-monogamous propaganda because that’s still largely how we ALL define love, family, happiness!

There’s plenty of Romance that breaks out of patriarchal notions of love, family, and happiness that other genres frame as strange, shocking, and even sexy, but ultimately tragic.

But in Romance those stories get to have Happy Endings. Where queer love isn’t a cautionary tale.

Romance is where women don’t have to die to complicate men’s stories. They get to live and love.

Where polyamory isn’t a sexy subplot that ultimately destroys relationships and families, but is actually how families are formed and are all the stronger for it.

The Romance’s expectation of a HEA has enabled creators to subvert mainstream media tropes that link to romance and tragedy, to the point that love is only acceptable/authentic if accompanied by violence and/or death.

In the world we live in guaranteeing happiness is subversive.

So, if you want to talk about how media as a whole limits our view of romantic relationships, happiness, and families to a very narrow heteronormative ideal that largely services cis het white men, we can talk.

But we have a lot of media to get through before we get to Romance.

PS I’m getting sick and tired of people talking about RomCom films as if they are solely made by/for women.

Even without doing research we all should be aware the these big name RomComs are made in the same industry, dominated by rich white men, that make big budget movies.