On May 2, 2003, TV-to-film adaptation had its heyday with the release of The Lizzie McGuire Movie and its accompanying smash-hit pop song, performed by Lizzie (Hilary Duff) herself: “(Hey Now) This Is What Dreams Are Made Of.”
Almost 13 years and dozens of Disney Channel show cycles later, I decided to embark on a little experiment to determine the extent of the effect this film and song had on other young adults like myself.
With the assistance of Tinder and copy/paste, I quickly confirmed that there is a large segment of the male aged 20-30 demographic (my self-selected age range preference) whose lives have been tragically untouched by either of these glorious things.
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The immediate result of this cultural experiment was that I appeared super deep to all of my unsuspecting victims—I mean participants. All it takes is a little lack of context to open your eyes to the provocative and “intense” lyrics of “What Dreams Are Made Of.” (Adolescent Lizzie was discovering herself through the power of song, bros!)
Occasionally, the amorous gentlemen would boldly push through my senseless remarks in an effort to… get to know me better. Yep, nothing turns me on more than a reminder of my childlike facial features.
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Some guys were sorely disappointed by the unfulfilled promise of a “happy” union… but seemingly content to watch Netflix for way too long.
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And others, while continuing to live their McGuire-less lives, managed to find some appreciation for the great outdoors.
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Alas, after many attempts, I still couldn’t manage to find any kindred spirits who shared my love of this timeless tune, but at the very least, I got one guy to do his research.
Tinder
Screengrab via Rajesh Chowdhury/YouTube