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Meet Cute is a sub-trope of Boy Meets Girl, a way to quickly introduce two characters and set up their burgeoning relationship. A meet-cute is almost always rife with awkwardness, embarrassment, and sometimes outright hostility. It's often used in films, particularly Romantic Comedies, due to time constraints; while on television a relationship can develop more naturally over many episodes, a movie has to get their couple set up right away to fit within two hours. This meeting can happen by way of an innumerable array of circumstances, so long as there's something cutesy about it. Possibly they have an instant dislike for one another, maybe they crash into each other in a hallway and papers fly about, maybe one of them has been shopping for ISO Standard Urban Groceries and trips over the other walking down the street, perhaps mistaken identity or other wacky misunderstanding is involved, sometimes someone is naked or in an otherwise embarrassing situation.
The following activities deal with consent, healthy relationships both in sexual and nonsexual groupings, and communication. It is very important to set some guidelines when working on sensitive topics with your students.
Everyone has the right to pass or sit out from an activity
Creating a safe learning environment, where beliefs are freely expressed
What happens in this class, stays in this class
Respect for privacy and opinions expressed
Openness and willing to discuss
Meet Cute: A meet cute is a fictional scene, typically in film or television, in which a future romantic couple meets for the first time in a way that is considered adorable, entertaining, or amusing.
Consent: To give permission for something to happen or to agree for something to happen.
Relationships: The way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected.
Healthy Relationships: A healthy relationship is one which contains the following
Trust
Honesty
Balance
Support
Fairness/ Equality
Separate Identities
Good Communication
Mutual Respect
Communication: Communication is the act of conveying intended meanings from one entity or group to another through the use of mutually understood signs and language; body language is also a form of communication.
Body Language: Body language is a kind of nonverbal communication, where thoughts, intentions, or feelings are expressed by physical behaviours, such as facial expressions, body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of space.
Context: Context refers to the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.
Masculinity/ Femininity (Gender Roles): Masculinity and femininity are the terms that are often used to identify a set of characteristics, values, and meanings related to gender. In our society, the values tied to masculinity have been generally seen as superior to those associated with femininity.
Identity: Condition or character as to who a person or what a thing is; the qualities, beliefs, etc., that distinguish or identify a person or thing. The presence of a wide range of human qualities and attributes within a group, organization, or society. The dimensions of diversity include, but are not limited to, ancestry, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, physical and intellectual ability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.
Uncomfortable: Causing or feeling unease or awkwardness. For example: “His presence made me uncomfortable”.
Attraction: The action or power of evoking interest, pleasure, or liking for someone or something; a quality or feature of something or someone that evokes interest, liking, or desire.
A is for Awareness
Using what you know to respect others and demanding respect in return. Knowledge of the consequences of unhealthy relationships, recognizing danger signs, and knowing your boundaries. Preventing violence by recognizing a lack of power and respect. Applying the knowledge you have in order to change unhealthy relationships into healthy ones. Basically, awareness means knowledge of all aspects of a relationship. This knowledge can be gained through talking with trusted teachers, counselors, family, and older friends. The Internet and books can also help you find the information you need.
B is for Balance
Balance means being in sync with your partner and having a relationship that is not one-sided – meaning that one person has more control or power than the other. Communication is the key to staying in balance. Both you and your partner have to talk about what the other person wants, and listen to what the other person has to say. You need to realize that your partner will have his or her own valuable opinions, and that you have to work together to balance their desires (and vice versa).
You and your friends probably have similar interests, but you are not completely the same. Likewise, you may have common interests with family or your boyfriend/girlfriend, but that doesn't make you the same person. You can certainly do things together, but remember that you can have different interests, too.
Make sure you and your partner have time to pursue your own interests as well. If you change in a relationship and adopt all of the other person's favorite things, hobbies, and lifestyles, the relationship becomes unbalanced, which is a very bad sign.
C is for Conscious Choices
Conscious choices include being able to decide what the next step in the relationship is – don't allow things to "just happen." Allowing things to escalate on their own is a common excuse that teens use to explain getting into emotional or sexual situations that they don't always know how to handle. Choices mean being able to take control.
In order to be aware, balanced, and make healthy choices, you need the building blocks of the ABCs: communication, trust, and respect. They are the keys to a healthy relationship.