Harley Quinn is a pretty cool character, we can all admit that. From the funky costumes to her sarcastic nature. With the recent movie, “Suicide Squad,” there has been a rise in Harley Quinn fans. Both of herself and her relationship with the Joker. Someone can be a fan of Harley Quinn as a character, but her relationship with the Joker should never been seen as “goals.”

Harley Quinn from DC comics and is a supervillain often appearing in Batman comics. She made her first appearance in September of 1992 in the animated show and her first comic appearance was in 1993. Harley Quinn, or Harleen Frances Quinzel, M.D. is described as an asylum psychiatrist who falls for the joker and becomes his accomplice. While the Joker is in the asylum, Harleen becomes obsessed with him and volunteers to help treat him. She is the one who helps him escape the asylum. Spending all her time with the Joker and his villain friends slowly drives her insane, which causes the transformation from Harleen to Harley. Harley Quinn’s whole character is based around the Joker. She is completely dependent on him and his feelings. She would not have been where she is without the Joker’s involvement.

With "Suicide Squad" being a big hit in theaters this summer, more and more girls are being introduced to Harley Quinn and all her antics. "Suicide Squad" is a great move, but it also opens a lot of doors to talk about, one of them being Harley Quinn. The movie does not do a good job of portraying the real relationship of the Joker and Harley Quinn, but it does open the door for the discussion of domestic abuse and violence and also mental illness.

Harley Quinn is a victim of abuse because of her mental illness. Her mental illness stops her from realizing the abuse that the Joker gives and in turn romanticizes it. The Joker and Harley Quinn’s whole relationship is based around the mental illnesses they both have, his being narcissism and anger, hers being identity. She doesn’t know who she is when she meets the Joker–she doesn’t like her current self, her family life or anything besides her job. She is looking for validation–validation of her thoughts, of her feelings and of herself. The Joker sees someone who is easily manipulated and controlled, and uses that to the full advantage. The Joker uses her, abuses her and even on multiple occasions tries to kill her all out of love, and Harley falls for it every time.

In the U.S., 7 million women are abused or raped by their current or former partners every year. An average of three women are killed every day by current or former lovers. 43% of college girls report experiencing violence from current or former lovers. With these statistics, Harley Quinn is the last person young girls need to be looking up to. The show, comics and now the movie are not stories that young girls need to be watching and romanticizing. She has no self-confidence and her relationship with the Joker is only dependent on his happiness and how he can use her. A lot of people look up to super villains because they aren’t perfect, and that is fine, but they are also villains for a reason. Love Harley for her imperfections, but not for her relationships.

If you or someone you know is suffering from physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a relationship partner, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-787-3224.