I love teen shows and movies. There’s nothing like watching one of Blair Waldorf’s schemes backfire or finding another clue that brings us closer to ‘A’ on Pretty Little Liars. However, there is one thing that truly irks me on teen shows: the couples.

Teen shows love drama because, hello, being a teen is sort of a dramatic experience. It’s too bad most of them are guilty of glorifying emotionally abusive relationships. The story is always the same. A guy treats the girl who is in love with him like crap, he says it’s because he loves her, she tells him off, then all of a sudden they’re back together like nothing ever happened. I’m supposed to buy this?

When a guy is jealous, when he shows up uninvited (stalking!), when he yells at you because he is insecure, well that just means he cares? W-T-F! No! Wrong message. It’s abuse. What’s even worse is that most of these guys justify their actions saying, “She doesn’t know what she wants!” Right, because girls can’t make decisions for themselves? “No” doesn’t mean no, it means “try harder”.

Sorry, bro. Women can make up their own minds. They can date who ever they want. You don’t get to pressure or use violence to convince women other wise. Here are some prime examples in some of my favorite shows and movies.

Edward/Jacob and Bella Swan

Where do I begin. Even if I can get past Edward stalking Bella, trying to control her every move, and watching her in her bedroom while she sleeps I cannot get passed this. Jacob can’t seem to accept that Bella has chosen Edward so he constantly pressures her to pick him instead. He keeps telling Bella that she doesn’t know what she wants, he even forces himself on her and she has to punch him! Here Edward is pissed at Jacob about about his bad behavior. Jacob is centain he and Bella are meant to be. After all this you expect me to believe that Jacob and Bella have a loving friendship?

Eli and Imogen on Degrassi

Eli thinks his new GF Imogen might be cheating on him, when really she is just seeking space from him with her BFF because he is totally smothering her. Eli’s solution: I’ll stalk her, crawl up her BFF’s fire escape, and catch her in the “act”. Breaking and entering? Stalking? Not cool, bro!

Chuck and Blair

Look, I love me some Chuck Bass. He is my favorite character on GG. He is Chuck Bass. As much as I want Chair to happen–it really shouldn’t. (It’s hard for even me to admit in writing!) Chuck and Blair are pretty horrible to each other and their little schemes are kind of what made them awesome in the beginning, but in the episode “The Princess and the Frog” Chuck takes thing too far. He physically hurts Blair, throwing her into a glass window because he can’t handle that she is pregnant and marrying Louis. Even after, like in this scene, he still tries to get her back. He insists that he loves her, that she actually doesn’t know what she wants because she really wants him? Give me a break. This isn’t love, it’s abuse and control. No matter how much history and genuine affection they have for each other it stopped being OK a while ago.

Do you think these are abusive relationships? Let us know in the comments!

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Next check out Can This Program Really Help Stop Abusive Relationships?

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