Steve Harvey would that all women be like me, at least that’s what I took from the movie Think Like a Man. Aside from the whole “90 Day rule” I didn’t see or hear a whole lot different from what I do anyway. But let me back up a bit.
When my co-worker gave me tickets to the screening that she wasn’t able to use, at first I was about as interested as I was in the book (which isn’t at all). I’m not one of those women who is tired of men writing books to tell women what we need to do to get a man, I’m one of those women who could care less what any man has to say about relationships who has had a shady relationship history himself. I could care less what most men and women say about them, really. I’m an old-fashioned girl, raised by an old-fashioned mom, who believes that I should behave like God expects me to and be treated like a lady, and I usually don’t have a problem being treated otherwise. Seeing no reason to change my M.O., the book held no appeal for me.
Luckily, the movie is…well, a movie. There’s a plot that makes as much sense as any romantic comedy, with characters that we can care about. The movie presents the battle of the sexes in light of a new weapon that has come into play, and does so in a way that’s funny and insightful.
But the main takeaway is that all women should be like me :D. Women should be curious about a man’s longtime goals and short term goals, how they feel about relationships, etc. They should not shack (boys shack; men build homes), they should not get sexually involved until a man proves his commitment to the relationship (which I view as a marriage and Steve Harvey equates to being eligible for benefits on a job after 90 days). Women should dress for success–dress like a keeper and not a sports fish, behave like a lady, etc.
The only issue I have with this philosophy is the title of the movie: Think Like a Man. I didn’t have to think like a man to come to the same conclusions. I just realized that people treat you how you allow them to and how you portray yourself. I do believe that since the advent of the “sexual revolution” and men no longer having to marry a woman to have easy access to sex, the balance of power pre-marriage has shifted to men (and women who don’t care about love & marriage, if such a woman exists) somewhat, but that doesn’t change the fact that most men appreciate having to work for a good woman and more often than not, will always marry her over the easy woman. Men still like a challenge, they still have respect for women who have respect for themselves, they still realize the positive effects of a good woman’s love and care in their lives–when they aren’t blinded by free booty and the bounty of women willing to commit themselves without the same requirement on his part.
So maybe I misjudged Steve Harvey, or the writers did a fabulous job with turning his book into an entertaining movie. I think women do need to think about the points made in the movie while they’re laughing along. After all, if what you are currently doing isn’t working, it wouldn’t hurt to evaluate a different perspective.
I was so happy to see a quality movie being made with a mostly Black cast. That hasn’t happened since the 90s, has it? I really hope people support it and show the movie industry that Tyler Perry hilarity is cool, but we can handle a more sophisticated, grown up comedy, and we want more diversity in films marketed to us. I’m so appreciative to the studio for not making another Tyler Perry film, but going in a different direction.
That’s my two cents, anyway. Leave yours in the comments section, or email me at 2blu2btru4u@gmail.com.
XOXO
2blu2btru
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