Skip To Content

    These 14 Movies Broke Taboos For Women In Relationships And Inspired The Rest Of Us

    From Netflix's From Scratch to classics like The Proposal and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

    Pervasive principles regarding women making the first move in relationships have created a list of taboos, and shockwaves can occur when a woman mentions she is proposing to a man. However, some romantic comedies are seemingly trying to shift the paradigm of these old-school relationship dynamics.

    Here are 14 movies that have showcased the woman making a nontraditional move in a relationship:

    1. The Holiday Calendar

    Kat Graham and Quincy Brown

    2. The Proposal

    Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds

    3. 27 Dresses

    katherine heigl in a bridesmaid dress

    4. Love Jones

    Larenz tate next to Nia Long

    5. To All the Boys I've Loved Before

    Noah Centineo and Lana Condor sitting at a bench

    6. From Scratch

    Zoe Saldana and Danielle Deadwyle at a wedding

    7. How Stella Got Her Groove Back

    Angela Bassett and Whoopi Goldberg

    8. Pretty Woman

    Richard Gere and Julia Roberts

    9. Under the Tuscan Sun

    Giulia Steigerwalt, Diane Lane, and Sandra Oh

    10. Bridget Jones's Diary

    Renee Zellweger

    11. Wedding Season

    Suraj Sharma and Pallavi Sharda

    12. The Back-up Plan

    Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin

    13. The Holiday

    cameron diaz in a bathtub

    14. Always Be My Maybe

    Ali Wong and Randall Park in a car

    Are there other films you'd add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.

    Watch Once Upon A Time In Londongrad from BuzzFeed Studios, a new true crime docuseries based on the explosive BuzzFeed News investigation, now streaming on Peacock.