Summer love: is it for you?

Graphic by Lena Yang
Graphic by Lena Yang

Thanks to John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, young adults everywhere begin their summer vacation looking for one thing: that perfect fleeting romance and those “summer nights.”

Many young summer goers, thanks to films such as Grease, Dirty Dancing and From Justin to Kelly that glorify the idea of flings, have made engaging in a summer romance their number one priority the moment they close their textbooks and head out to the beach.

With summer being a time for change and self-discovery, a romance alongside the beach may be just what you need. That’s certainly what Madison Weates, a third year English student at York University, is hoping for.

“I’ve had summer romances in the past before and I am all for it for this summer,” Weates said. “Summer is a time when you just let go of the worries you’ve got and you don’t want to take yourself too seriously. I don’t like taking myself or any fling I have seriously.”

Having had brief flings for the last three summers when she goes to camp, Weates had compared her experiences to that of Baby and Johnny from Dirty Dancing, in which the two main characters meet at a hotel during the summer. That comparison is one that makes Weates exhilarated.

“When you watch the classic movies about summer romances, you can’t help but feel excited when it happens to you,” Weates shared. “I grew up loving all of those movies and I like coming back from the summer knowing that I lived an experience like Baby did.”

Summer romances are perfect for those who do not like being in steady and serious relationships. Summer romances last only for a summer and in most cases, do not exceed beyond that. With many young adults still figuring out who they are, a serious relationship is not what is best, especially during the summer. Weates admitted that the lack of strings attached appealed to her.

“Commitment is still a big and scary thing to me, so I like not having to feel attached to anyone for the time being,” Weates shared. “There is just something about knowing that you only have so much time with that person.”

While Weates may have no qualms with her summer loves lasting only for the summer, there are many summer goers who don’t like the seemingly inevitable end that comes with summer romances. Supporters of summer romances have surrounded Chris Smyth, a fourth year business student at the University of Western Ontario, since he was in high school. Though he admits that he tried having a summer romance because he wanted to fit in, Smyth realized that it wasn’t for him.

“All of my buddies like to have flings, but I’m not into that at all,” Smyth shared. “I am a commitment guy, I don’t like being in short-term relationships that aren’t going to last. I’d hate to get attached to someone who was only just going to be around for two months of my life and then leave.”

While the idea of a brief summer fling contradicts with his morals and personal beliefs, Smyth has other reasons for why he is against the idea. Smyth not only hates goodbyes, but he also cited his hatred for clichés and summer romance films as his other reasons for not getting involved in a summer romance.

To him, these films are not authentic and disregard the feelings of the people involved.

“People don’t act like that in real life,” Smyth reasoned. “If people are that melodramatic, then there’s probably a bigger problem than you might think.”

Whether you’re looking for romance or not on your summer vacation, make this summer one that you’ll remember for the years to come. The people involved play a huge role in summer memories, so make sure that you have good people around, whether they are a summer fling or not.

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