The one thing I gathered from Kissing Jessica Stein was that relationships, all relationships, are built on the same foundation. Helen and Jessica's romantic relationship, to me, often looked platonic. They did pretty typical things like go out for drinks, or to movies, out to dinners or walks. All things that I've done with friends, and all things that people usually do with others they simply have relationships with. Two men had even mistaken them for being friends, and tried to pick them up.
In fact, the only thing that would make their relationship look more like a romantic relationship is if they were of different sexes. It's interesting that we make that connection, however. If I were to see two women or two men out to dinner or at the bar together, I'd assume they were friends who decided to get together and go out. But, if I saw a man and a woman out to dinner together, or at the bar, I'd automatically assume they were on a date, if not in a romantic relationship. Even if they actually were just friends. I think this speaks to the heteronormative view we have on people. Even though we're aware that homosexual relationships exist and happen, frequently, when presented with the actual thing (two men/two women seen together) we only think of it as them on a friendly, non-sexual outing. It's as though we don't believe that they love in the same way, or as if homosexual relationships look different. Although, it's not.
Something I took away from this class so far was exactly how love and desire relate to each other. Yes, on some level, I knew that they did relate. Obviously. But the idea that desire is wanting something you don't have and how that could lead to being in love, which means you're lacking something is an interesting concept.
