Recently on Tik Tok, there has been an abundance of videos made about notorious serial killers. True crime has always been a widely discussed topic, so there’s nothing new there, except the creators of these videos are praising the murder’s “good” looks and mannerisms instead of retelling their crimes.
After spending hours scrolling down the countless videos related to the infamous rapist and serial killer Richard Ramirez, one thing is for sure, a lot of women find him attractive. There are several videos dedicated to speaking about his “attractive” features, such as his high cheekbones, smile, and curly hair. You would think many women would try to keep this rather disturbing interest under wraps, but they proudly flaunt their feelings towards the monster.
I’m sure some do it out of attention for clout, however humanizing him and putting him on a pedestal for his looks, is a slap in the face to the countless victims he’s raped and murdered. To make the situation even worse, people are making fan pages praising him, and wishing that had the opportunity to meet him.
My perspective is very clear on this subject. Richard Ramirez is one of the most vile and utterly distrusting people to have ever walked the earth. Some of his crimes include raping and murdering a nine-year-old girl to murdering an entire family after burglarizing their home. It’s hard to believe that women are saying such kind things about him, considering the heinous crimes he’s committed for years before being caught.
How does this impact the victims and their families? It humanizes their monster. Imagine seeing someone that killed your parents, siblings, or even a close friend be praised online for their looks? It would make you sick to see such a thing. It makes light of something so horrible, and it also encourages that behavior. It’s a public platform, can’t people post what they want? Yes and no. You can always post what you want, but there will always be consequences. If you deem posting a video, sexualizing one of the world’s most dangerous men as comical or okay, then you must also know you’re doing so at the expense of countless victims and their families.
The idea that killers are attractive, or had a way of “getting women’s attention”, is a concept that’s also harmful to women in general. The police used that excuse for Ted Bundy’s victims and victim-shamed them into thinking that it was partially their fault. It’s never okay to place the blame on anyone besides the killer. My heart goes out to the surviving victims, and close family members that have to bear this new social media frenzy.
Murderers should be remembered for their crimes and inhumane acts.