Taking out my phone, I composed a message to my Dad - Suicide Squad, 6:30 pm at the Cinemax - can we go? I don’t usually buy into the whole superhero movie franchise, but after reading rave reviews and watching countless YouTube videos of “Harley Quinn Makeup Tutorials,” I just had to give in. It wasn’t until I was sitting in the theater, mid-movie, when a wave of frustration washed over me - how are so many people calling Harley Quinn and The Joker’s relationship “#goals”? Is that really what people call love?

Gender-based violence - the topic that nobody wants to talk about yet they are perfectly willing to watch examples of it in mainstream media productions for entertainment. I am a part of a generation that lives under a thick cloud of media influence - and its convenience and accessibility make it nearly impossible to escape. The compelling influence of the media only further validates my mounting concern about how it brings the wrong kind of attention to issues of unhealthy relationships and abuse.

Harley Quinn and The Joker’s relationship is one of thousands of examples of how pop culture glamorizes gender-based violence and how my generation is consequently brainwashed by it. Many in Suicide Squad’s audience see The Joker as a devoted and passionate partner, completely desensitized to his controlling nature and emotional manipulation of Harley Quinn. The Joker using Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel like a puppet to facilitate his escape from an insane asylum is not love. Taking away her free will by sending an electric current through her brain is not love. Yet, this behavior is normalized by the media painting a picture-perfect romantic relationship over one plagued by psychological distress.

The entertainment industry casts a dangerous shadow over abuse, burying it under idolized pop culture icons and calling it “#goals,” and those of us who feed into it only multiply the reach and severity of the issue. The scariest part? Instead of the most powerful influence in our world today bringing awareness to issues like gender-based violence, they exploit it.