Relationships are built upon not only love but trust and honesty. Romantic relationships portrayed by couples from movies indeed spark the image of an ideal relationship. But sometimes, the unhealthy relationships too were constructed very well, making the toxic traits often overlooked and romanticized by the audience. Here are four toxic couples from movies whose relationship's people romanticize a lot.
Anastasia and Christian Grey from Fifty Shades of Grey
Who doesn't know the steamy couple from the fan fiction adaptation, Fifty Shades of Grey, the one and only Anastasia and Christian Grey? Its trilogy has managed to leave fans swooning for Anastasia and Christian Grey, making them become one of the most famous couples on the big screen. However, their relationship doesn't sit well with me. Christian is a jealous, possessive man who goes all the way to control Ana's life. He's obsessed with Ana's whereabouts and who she is with, then showing up unannounced again and again. If it's not creepy and controlling enough, he also bought the company Ana works at! And when a problem arises, they always made up with sex, as Christian told her "You're mine, all mine. Understand?" where in reality, sex doesn't just magically fix everything.
The relationship between Christian Grey and Ana is glorified because of the steamy experience they shared. However, their power and dynamics in BDSM were reflected poorly in their relationship. The foundation of BDSM should be based on consent. Christian, on the other hand, uses intimidation, manipulation, and threat of violence to get her to consent to what he wants. Thus, Ana and Christian are considered a toxic couple because Christian tries his best to keep her all to himself as a way of keeping her under his power.
Harley Quinn and Joker from The Suicide Squad
The pet names are cute, but the backstory of how Harley and Joker ended up obsessing over each other is problematic. Previously a promising (and normal) psychiatrist, Dr. Harleen Quinzel became a DC famous villain thanks to another genius villain, Joker, whom she fell in love with. In the movie, he asked her, "Would you die for me? That's too easy. Would you live for me?" which she answers yes. Then, she voluntarily jumps into an acid that turns her into Harley Quinn simply because of her love and obsession for Joker. DC fans worship Harley Quinn and Joker. Well, maybe because they see how Harley and Joker are compatible with each other since they're crazy bad. With the power of love-and a lot of manipulation, Joker transformed Dr. Harleen Quinzel into the Harley Quinn we're all familiar with.
Allie and Noah from The Notebook
I don't understand why Hollywood loves and is obsessed with this couple, to begin with. Was it because of the kiss in the rain? The "If you're a bird, then I'm a bird." scene? The couple from this novel adaptation is often called relationship goals because they manage to overcome their problems, enhancing our beliefs in second chances. However, the constant fight and arguments were reinforcing a notion that the strongest relationships were born out of conflict. Even from the start, Noah makes me uncomfortable because he kept pushing Allie to go out with him. He even went to the extent of threatening her that he'd jump off the Ferris wheel if Allie doesn't agree to go on a date with him. Talk about gaslighting!
Bella and Edward from Twilight
I know it's fantasy fiction where a 100 years old vampire dates a 17 years old high school girl, but it still makes me uncomfortable. Yet, Bella and Edward have a huge fan base of people worshipping them. The author Stephanie Meyer even received several backlashes due to the red flags shown in Bella and Edward's relationship. She was accused of romanticizing psychological and emotional abuse in a relationship. Edward's over-protectiveness makes him fail to respect Bella's boundaries. Rather than a relationship to idolize, specialists analyze the dynamics of Bella and Edward's romance to bring a better understanding to young readers about abusive relationships.
Yes, movies are mostly fiction. Some of the characters in a movie and their toxic dynamics were just made for the story, thus entertainment for the audience. However, even if it's merely a depiction of romance fiction, it's important to note down the red flags when you see the cute couple you've been dying for them to end up with. Besides, who wants to be tangled in an unhealthy relationship? Certainly not me!
(HAI/MEL)