He's Just Not That Into You- Continuing Relationship Stereotypes

            The movie "He's Just Not That Into You" came out a few years ago, but it wasn't until recently that I managed to see it.  I pretty much expected it be a sub-par film, but I figure there are a bunch of stars in it like Scarlet Johansson, Jennifer Aniston, and Ben Affleck that would make it entertaining.  The film follows the story-line of 9 people as they deal with their respective dating/romantic issues.  Although the movie follows both men and women in their relationships, the emphasis is clearly on the notion that women are helpless and clueless in dealing with relationships: hence the title ‘He’s Just Not That Into You’.  I couldn't help but roll my eyes at all the scenes when the women would have girl-talk where they continuously gave each other terrible advice, usually involving false hope in order to make themselves feel better.

            By the end of the movie, my attention was on the scope women were being seen through.  The women were seen as dumb, oblivious and psycho when trying to figure out their relationships.  While the men, who are equally dumb and oblivious, manage to get away with it.    Why has this become the norm for how men and women act in relationships?  It seems to be that psycho/crazy factor that women have attained that sets them apart from men.   Sure, both men and women can be a bit clueless when dating, but why is it usually the woman that’s the crazy one?  Is it because women really do read into things too much and see sparks when there is really nothing there?  Maybe, but men do this too.  It’s really more related to the idea that men are the chasers and the women are chased.  The minute these roles flip, women somehow become undesirable and crazy. 

Here’s a scene from the movie, where just prior the woman, Gigi, assumes wrong that the guy, Alex, is interested in her.  This is the reaction:

This scene just proves that once women decide to take control and make the first move they become “insane” as Justin Long’s character Alex says.  Why, even in society today, are we content with this dating structure?  Does it relate to the gender binary in that it helps us organize society and help us anticipate how people are supposed to act?  Or, is this just another societal norm that we've subconsciously accepted, without seeing the gender inequality it enforces?