No, murderers are not attractive

With the rise of movies and shows about murderers, more people have been romanticizing and even defending the actions of their “favorite” criminals. It had already been an ongoing issue before the popularity of recent shows, such as the Jeffrey Dahmer series on Netflix, but it is now at a peak again. 

In the past, many murderers have been romanticized after movies and television shows were themed around them. For example, Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Many viewers obsessed over Ted Bundy because in the movie he is played by Zac Efron, who many consider attractive. However, viewers need to understand that the actor and criminal are two different people and that romanticizing the murderer is not the same. 

There were instances where criminals were defended because of their appearance, even without a movie or show being themed around them. For example, in April 2018, a 17-year-old man, Cameron Herrin, killed a mother and child during a street race with his friend. Herrin has a long history of street racing and speeding. While it is seemingly an accident, he has always been dangerous on the road. For context, street racing is illegal in the US, which means that sooner or later, an accident like this would have occurred because of his habitual reckless driving. However, many people on the internet still did not hesitate to defend him. Their reasonings’ included the defense that he is “too pretty to be in jail for life.” To think someone should or should not be in jail just because of their facial appearance is just insensitive and stupid, especially when they murdered multiple people. 

Some may argue that it is just a movie or show, but that is just insensitive reasoning. The criminals were real people and their actions were also real. They were not invented for the sake of a movie or show. It is insensitive because many of the victims’ families and friends are still alive. They watch everyone defend the person that killed their best friend, which is a painful experience. There should be no reason to defend the actions of someone who committed murder, especially when it is someone you do not even know. 

Please remember that just because the actor who plays the criminal is attractive, it does not mean the actual criminal should be romanticized. By obsessing over the murderer, it is overshadowing and disrespecting the victims. Even the actors that have played them have asked viewers to remember that the victims are real and they should be respected.