Have you ever had a friend who said a serial killer was cute? Well, I have. As a Criminology major, I’m often puzzled whenever I hear a statement along those lines. Murderers have been relevant since before many of us were born. Serial killers specifically because so many gruesome crimes can be so evil, but that’s not what these people think about. I would bet a lot of money that a serial killer was on everyone’s search history at some point in their life.
why?
Truthfully, if you came here to know exactly why you or your friend is crushing on someone like Ted Bundy, I don’t have the answer. However, I have some ideas as to why this happens. For one, entertainment franchises often sexualize killers and push a complex narrative onto them, leading audiences to sympathize with them. We forget that they’ve literally committed a crime.
I also think that recent true-crime serial killer movies and shows like Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story have helped foster this emotion by using conventionally attractive actors to portray serial killers. I guess many just see them as bad boys, but in reality, they’re killers.
There are even bad cases like the phrase, “Choke me like Bundy. Eat me like Dahmer.” Can someone please explain why this is a thing? If I just exposed you to this, then I apologize, but let’s all agree that we won’t say these things.
the fantasy
I hope we all remember the legendary movie franchise Twilight, in which vampires and werewolves had so much drama between them. Well, I think that movies and shows like that are what helped foster an attraction to murderers in general.
I’m going to try and see it from the other perspective for a second. The concept of someone protecting you by killing for you could sound appealing because it shows that they have a deep love for you. I guess that’s why men with swords are typically the most attractive in fantasy war cinema.
Let’s not forget the video edits on social media with their stop-motion filter that make girls fall for the actor’s character. I think the people who make edits are so talented, but they tend to romanticize the murderers. Even if we’re just fangirling over the actor, it’s hard to remember who the actor is portraying.
TRUE CRIME
This is probably the root of everyone’s obsession with killers. I understand that Zac Efron is someone we’ve found attractive since High School Musical but look at the facts of Ted Bundy.
I recommend that you watch the case files of these serial killers and not the readaptation that uses handsome people so you can see those facts. Jeffrey Dahmer is not someone who should be romanticized.
I’m merely trying to be the rational best friend, attempting to question why we romanticize these dangerous people. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t admit to falling for this trap, too.
I still think there’s no solid reason as to why people romanticize killers. I would recommend looking at the facts of the case and not the person’s attraction level. My explanation is short and to the point because I still want to do more detective work as to why this is common.
Let’s create a mantra for us to remember: “I will not love a criminal.” Please keep repeating that so that we all don’t start falling in love with one.
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