Gen Z loves the love triangle Is it simply due to the love for complicated stories, or is there more to it than that?

Twilight defined my childhood. I grew up wearing Team Edward this and Team Jacob that because my mom was a big fan of the saga. The first time I watched the first and second movie in the series, I was seven. I remember it vividly, though: the blue-like aesthetic of Forks, the odd first interactions between Bella and Edward, the iconic baseball scene playing Supermassive Black Hole Bella's Converse sneakers, Jacob’s ever-cringy ‘‘Bella where the hell have you been, loca?’’, and the whole dilemma of who the leading lady should choose. And somehow, it was instant, I had picked a side. Soon after, I remember drawing two dots on my neck and pretending that I had been bitten by a vampire. Because I was rooting for the vampire. 

The love triangle: a timeless classic

The love triangle trope is no news, it’s been a cornerstone of storytelling for decades, weaving its way through literature, TV, and cinema. Think Nosferatu (1922), Gone with the Wind (1939), Casablanca (1942), Sabrina (1954), Jules and Jim (1962), The Way We Were (1973), and so on. In more recent years, titles like The Vampire Diaries, The Notebook, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before have not only carved out a place in pop culture’s collective memory but also nestled deeply into every teenage girl’s heart. And now, the love triangle trope is re-popping everywhere: from TV shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty and My Life With The Walter Boys to movies like Challengers and Materialists. As Gen Zers become more and more captivated by love triangles, questions arise: Why is this trope experiencing a renaissance among younger generations? 

Gen Z's need to feel free and the love triangle as a mirror of desires

For Monica Lynne, a sex and relationship therapist and Flirtini dating app expert, it all comes down to the desire of Gen Zers to not be tamed. ‘‘Gen Zs seem to feel a desire to have lots of choices and not be locked down to something that doesn’t fill their bucket of feeling enticed with life,’’ the sexpert says. Add to that the fact that the love-turned-sport of it all gets us rooting for a specific side. According to Lynne, this reveals that a fictional love triangle is never just about the characters; it's also about people projecting their own hidden desires.  Kristen Maldonado, entertainment journalist and founder of Pop Culture Planet echoes this feeling. ‘‘Love triangles hold up a mirror to our lives when it comes to the paths we can take and the values we prioritize,’’ she explains. As a lens of self-discovery, the love triangle trope contains a relatable element of human desire and complexity that makes it so addictive. 

The allure of drama

Naturally, it helps that the genre is so versatile. Consider the brothers battling over Belly in The Summer I Turned Pretty, the once-BFFs competing over tennis pro Tashi in Challengers, and the wolf versus vampire dynamic in Twilight. The opportunities are endless, a love triangle can function in many ways. Not to mention the conflict it brings to the narrative, which is sort of what everyone wants to see. The drama! It sure is entertaining to see opposites like safety and danger competing for someone's attention. Think of Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, torn between the commitment-phobic Mr. Big and the more devoted Aidan. Or Devi in Never Have I Ever, navigating conflicting feelings for the popular Paxton and her nerdy rival, Ben. It's the thrill of the rush that keeps us watching, rooting, and falling in love again and again with fictional couples. In Maldonado words, we ‘‘go from a passive watcher to an active contributor when you choose a side.’’ 

Dai fan club a TikTok: l’evoluzione delle ship

Before the internet, pop culture audiences debated about their favorite ships in fan clubs or through fan letters. Later, they moved on to blogs and fan forums. But now, social media has opened a whole new world for these teams.  "Fans form entire communities with dedicated accounts, TikTok edits, fan fiction, and art to support their favorite ships," Maldonado notes.  Watching a love triangle unfold on TV or passionately defending your favorite ship online can feel utterly exciting. But according to Lynne, many of us hold a somewhat romanticized view of these entanglements. ‘‘Often, things we fantasize about are hotter in our heads than they are when they play out,’’ the professional states. So while seeing things on a show or exploring them in our heads helps us understand ourselves and our desires better, this does not mean that it will be the same in real life. In fact, a love triangle can be very exhausting. Too much overthinking and feeling torn between two people, or trying to prove yourself to win someone’s heart, can rule your life. It's like a full-time job. And a very demanding one. 

When the love triangle becomes toxic

At least, that’s what Avigail Lev, founder and director of the Bay Area CBT Center, believes. And that love triangles’ addictive factor lies not in the possibility of choice and desire, but rather because of vanity. ‘‘Being the center of a love triangle feeds the fantasy of being chosen, admired, and seen as unique,’’ Lev explains. Sure, it's normal and part of the human experience to want to feel desired, but for the director of Bay Area CBT Center the love triangle trope is far from healthy. ‘‘The underlying message is dangerous: if you just fight harder, prove yourself more, or beat the competition, you’ll finally be worthy of love,’’ Lev declares. ‘‘If a partner is making you compete with someone else, that’s toxic.’’

A changing dynamic

She’s not a fan of how the trope often reduces men to rivals in a contest, forced to prove their worth to win someone’s heart. ‘‘And even if you win, the logic is that you have to keep proving yourself forever,’’ Lev concludes. Meanwhile, women are framed as prizes to be won rather than people, which for the director of the Bay Area CBT Center is overwhelming. Lynne acknowledges that traditional narratives about love triangles perpetuate the two-men-one-woman dynamic because society values male competition and the idea that women find worth through selection. But for her, this dynamic is transforming. ‘‘The open attitudes of Gen Z toward queer and fluid relationships allow the triangle to evolve beyond conventional patterns,’’ Lynne elaborates. ‘‘The shift moves the triangle from a victory objective toward authentic decision-making processes.’’

Choosing yourself: the new happy ending beyond the team

Maldonado, too, argues that this trope allows women to have agency through the power of choice. In theory, it sounds empowering. But in practice, audiences rarely cheer when the female lead chooses ‘‘herself.’’ Just ask Lola Tung, who plays Belly in The Summer I Turned Pretty and recently faced backlash online for stating she’s Team Belly. It turns out that choosing yourself isn’t the fairy-tale ending people want. Rather, it's the ending they're still learning to root for. But whether you have rooted for Team Belly, Team Jeremiah, Team Conrad, or any love triangle of your choosing, the outcome is the same. Community, self-knowledge, and desire, all with that zsa zsa zsu!