"Relationship goals." What does that even mean? We have slowly become consumed throughout this digital age by the idolization of couples in movies/television shows. It's not that we are setting unrealistic goals for ourselves and our future partners, but we are taking these poor examples of true love and putting them on pedestals. Through various couples in movies/television shows, we are being trained to praise and encourage relationships that are abusive and unhealthy. Just to name a few, these couples are leading us down the road to distorted relationships that will end in disaster when pursued in real life.
1) Danny and Sandy
You were a Pink Lady for Halloween at least once as a child and as soon as a song from Grease comes on, it is no surprise that you can recite every lyric. We were raised on this classic love story, which is why it is so hard to consider how awful the relationship between Sandy and Danny is. For starters, Danny attempts to inappropriately touch Sandy without her permission and when she denies him, he proceeds to make loud sexual noises as if the two are getting wild in his car for all to hear. He even hides behind menus so no one can see them on a date, showing how embarrassed he is of her. No matter how much you enjoy the entertaining musical numbers and adorable outfits throughout this film, you must be absolutely blind to not see how messed up the final scene is. Wrapping up the film, Sandy decides to completely change her appearance solely to impress Danny. What an awful message this movie gives off: change yourself so a man will like you.
2) Noah and Allie
Ah, The Notebook, everyone's favorite chick flick. On the surface, one might see the Notebook as a film about two people that would do anything for one another, how adorable. But in reality, this couple is not anywhere near "relationship goals." In one scene, you see Allie and Noah fighting and Allie ends up forcefully shoving Noah. Just because Allie is a female, most people disregard the fact that this is physical abuse. At one point, Allie breaks up with Noah and then proceeds to ask in a panic, "we're not really breaking up, are we?" AFTER. she. just. broke. up. with. him. We are romanticizing what we all hate in relationships: lack of communication and not saying how we feel. It is not healthy to push someone away to see if they will retreat back to you.
3) Chuck and Blair
CHUCK TRADED BLAIR FOR A HOTEL! That is all I have to say to anyone who tries to argue that this relationship is remotely okay. First of all, the two are the most inconsistent couple to ever appear on television, and when they aren't together, they are trying to ruin each other. Do you really love someone if you're only looking out for them when you're together? After all of their fighting, the two always make up with some sort of lavish gift. In real life, everything can't be fixed with a bouquet of peonies and an apology. Instead of working through their differences and communicating, the two just disregard their issues and spend money on one another.
4) Harley Quinn and the Joker
If I see one more tweet about how these two are perfect for each other because they are equally crazy and obsessed with each other, I might scream. Originally, I used to defend those who idolized this couple mainly because I assumed that they only saw the movie, Suicide Squad, and they didn't do their research on the backstory via comics. Now, after seeing the movie, I have realized that there is no way to defend the relationship between these two. Even if your only knowledge of this couple is from the movie, you can see how abusive their relationship is. From the beginning, The Joker doesn't love Harley. When Harley was the Joker's doctor, he tricks her into loving him and even uses unnecessary shock therapy to screw with her brain. At one point, Harley jumps into acid to prove her love for The Joker. If you read up on the comics, you'd know that the Joker treats Harley like a punching bag. She disregards all of his poor behavior just like most women who suffer from abuse: turning a blind eye.
