OpenTube

He's Not Romantic, He's a Walking RED FLAG...

Marina McBain

650,526 views

Movies have been selling us the same love story for years… and it’s not as romantic as it looks. From characters like Nate Jacobs in Euphoria to Hardin in After, Edward in Twilight, Noah in The Notebook and Massimo in 365 Days, some of the most iconic “romantic” male leads are built on obsession, control, manipulation and emotional chaos, but the way these stories are written and filmed makes it feel like love....

In this video, I break down the most common toxic male tropes in movies and TV shows, from the emotional rollercoaster to the control freak, and explain how Hollywood turns red flags into something desirable. We’ll look at how these characters are framed, why audiences continue to romanticise them, and how this idea of love keeps getting repeated across film and TV.

If you love movies, acting, or complaining about the state of Hollywood, this one’s for you!

Contents of this video:

Intro - 00:00
After - 02:30
365 days - 13:20
You - 24:56
Euphoria - 28:26

Business inquiries - marina@night.co

Instagram - Instagram: marinamcbain
TikTok - TikTok: marinaswrld

Thanks for watching :p

20 Comments

@Hashbrown1682 5 months ago

Reminds how someone said
"If the guy in 50 shades of grey wasn't rich and handsome, it would be an episode of "Criminal Minds'."

@xiexielian 5 months ago

I hate how every bad behaviour is justified by "trauma".

@ChrisMaldonado-i7y 2 months ago

It’s only romanticized if the toxic male is a handsome man. Switch the character to an ugly man and the same story becomes horror.

@mrsmisss 1 month ago

One thing that annoys me insanely is the entire Mafia boss stereotype, romanticizing people that work with literal killers and drug dealers and criminals. I'm Italian, and to me it feels so disrespectful that they turned the mafia into a romance type. They've killed people, they're not the angels they're put as.

@Noopppeee 5 months ago (edited)

Its crazy to me that "toxic masculinity"is often thrown around, and then absolutely despicable male characters are romanticised and idolised. Like whaaat?

@beatlephan 5 months ago

It started when they said "if he's pulling your hair, he must really like you" in the kindergarten.

@MeganLawson-jx6wz 5 months ago

Media is quick to demonize video games and claim they cause violence yet not a word about hollwood romanticizing abusive relationships

@1-upking119 3 months ago

This is why Gomez and Morticia are the PERFECT fictional couple. Gomez treats her like she personally hung the stars and would sooner die than do anything to hurt or manipulate his beloved. And Morticia adores him in every way because he treats her like a queen. These fellas seriously need to start Gomezmaxxing.

@izzyc6539 5 months ago

I don't care how handsome he is. May this kind of love never find me.

@e-raticspecialist1035 5 months ago

Cheating, emotional abuse, and manipulation? It must be a love story

@Easter.Island 5 months ago

yeah girl, "find your Heathcliff" and keep him for yourself, we don't want him😭😭😭😭

@tripherian 5 months ago

The idea of bruising my partner makes me feel ill. I cannot believe dangerous male behavior is romantic while standard boundaries are considered manipulative. Truly disgusting to see so many degenerate behaviors and dangerous behaviors being treated as the gold standard.

@BamiseSodunke 5 months ago

The fact that 365 Days was marketed as romance and not a crime story needs to be studied.

@Static_Signal_Memories 5 months ago

It all comes down to the "pretty privilege" issue. None of these would be romantized if the guy wasn't somewhat attractive.

@W1ldF1st 5 months ago

Hollywood has mistakened kindness for weakness, aggression for strength, abuse for love, respect for fear and masculinity for toxicity.

@Orawan-v9z 3 months ago

In my opinion, some women who repeatedly choose red-flag men may be trying to fill an emotional void from childhood, believing they can heal, change, or fix those men.

@batsaubattler3200 5 months ago

Someone said the notebook would be a horror movie if Ryan gosling wasn't handsome or charming

@kcirtapelyk6060 5 months ago

This is why Wattpad writers should NEVER be allowed anywhere near the film industry.

@TaliGersten-u9q 5 months ago

I also hate how all of a sudden there's no such thing as a villain and Hollywood is making everyones misunderstood. Like Broooo there are bad abusive people out there and teens /young adults need to know this!