Harley Quinn and Other Crazy Love Stories I Love

After receiving a bunch of tweets about this post, I have decided to edit it as it seems that I didn't get the right message across. To be perfectly honest, I didn't mean to offend anyone with this post nor did I mean to sound douchey, but as a dear friend pointed out today: I do tend to sound douchey a lot of the time.

So, here is a slightly edited (and hopefully nicer and clearer) version of my post written with the insight and help of a friend who has also been through abuse herself.

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I've always been a sucker for crazy love stories. I was never a fan of the types of love stories other people were suckers for. No, my favorite love stories include The Great Gatsby, Romeo and Juliet, Sweeney Todd, Edward Scissorhands and, in the comic book world: Harley and Joker.

As such, it only makes sense that I decided to dress as (a more casual, less sexy and more relatable) Harley Quinn for our Suicide Squad screening last week.

Daddy's Lil Monster shirt from POG / stars shorts from Folded and Hung / Harley Quinn hoodie from Authority Hoodie / red Stan Smith sneakers from adidas (USA)

Sadly, Suicide Squad wasn't everything I had hoped it would be. I found it a lil dragging, to be honest. Also, since I expected Joker to be the main baddie, I was a lil disappointed that there weren't enough Joker scenes. :(

The good news, though, is that Harley ROCKED in the movie. I loved everything about her. She was both cute and crazy at the same time, and I loved all of the aerial silk moves and the sexy-dancing and ugly-crying in it. She was a great Harley, in my opinion, and reminded me very much of the Harley in the animated movies.

A lot of hate has been spreading around on the #relationshipgoals that people have been posting regarding Harley and Joker's relationship, though.

I've read so many people on my Timeline saying that "that kind of relationship shouldn't be idolised due to its abusive nature" and "women shouldn't let men force them into doing things they don't want to do" and all of that stuff.

Coming from someone who… well, I wouldn't say 'idolise', but likes Harley and Joker, I feel the need to say that while their relationship is one filled with abuse, that's not necessarily what people 'idolise' about it.

I, for one, was always intrigued and interested in Harley and Joker's relationship because they were the epitome of the saying "You cannot choose who you fall in love with." My friend recently said, "THAT's the real problem. People fall for abuse because they just can't not. And that's in real life AND in the movie."

It's like Romeo and Juliet. They couldn't choose who they fell in love with (plus, heck, they even killed each other in the end!), but a lot of people still consider their love story to be the greatest love story of all time.

I understand that abuse is a real issue, but that's not the issue that I appreciate or even advocate (I have been a victim of abuse myself, FYI, so don't be so quick to judge… more on that here), but it would be nice to be able to fangirl about Harley and Joker without being seen or told that I'm being a monster.

I'd also like to point out that they did a good job in the movie showcasing what Harley really wants. As seen in her vision created by The Enchantress, she doesn't want to be in an abusive relationship. She just wants to be with the man she loves and have a normal happy family with him.

Maybe it's just me instantly separating comic books from real life and seeing it as a mere form of entertainment, but I don't think Harley and Joker fans should instantly be labeled as glorifiers of abuse. 

I appreciate all of the effort in trying to mould the younger generations and letting them know that abuse is not okay, but Harley Quinn is just a comic book character. The movie is PG-13. The whole thing is supposed to be a form of entertainment. When did comic book geeks suddenly automatically become monsters who glorify something bad just because they like certain comic book characters?

Anyway, to those asking: no, I didn't actually dye my hair. That's just spray-on hair color. The pink is growing on me, though… Maybe I should get it coloured, after all? Thoughts?