Having a crush is more than just an infatuation—it’s a full-blown feeling of intense euphoria and giddiness that makes you feel bonded to someone (even if you barely know them) and maybe a little obsessed with them. While we might associate crushes with young people, a recent study found that crushes are even common in adults who are in committed intimate relationships. The researchers sought to explore the nature of these uncommunicated, unilateral attractions by comparing reports of adults in partnered relationships who experience crushes with those of a control group of non-partnerd individuals.
In the film Crush, Girl Meets World star Rowan Blanchard plays Paige, an artsy high school student who has a crush on her classmate Gabriela (Isabella Ferreira of Love Victor). When she’s forced onto her school’s track team for some reason that doesn’t make any sense, Paige decides to use the opportunity as a way to pursue Gabriela—only to fall for her sister AJ (Moana’s Auli’i Cravalho). Despite the fact that the actors have genuine chemistry, it’s hard to get invested in this movie when there’s so much banter that can’t be taken seriously. It feels like a College Humor script.
Crush is a well-meaning film with some likable characters. But it’s also a film that treats its subject with far too much cynicism and mockery. It’s as if the writers figured that since these characters live in high school, anything goes. In reality, the high school experience is not so rife with drugs and sex parties as depicted here. It’s a place where most kids are trying to figure out their sexual identity and where some are already sexually active.
A crush is a natural part of the teenage experience, but it can be difficult to navigate. For one thing, it can lead to feelings of embarrassment. We might blush when our crush looks at us, or we might avoid eye contact. If we’re in a relationship, a crush can cause us anxiety about how our partner might react. In addition, we might blab about our crush to all of our friends, which can make them feel uncomfortable or cause them to think that we’re insecure. It’s important to keep your feelings about a person to yourself, and only talk about them with your closest friends.