Who doesn’t love a guilty pleasure film? Cheesy, harmless, and critically worthless, the ‘After’ tetralogy completed its missing piece with ‘After Ever Happy’ this September.
The book and film series centers around Tessa Young, exploring her newfound college freedom and welcoming us to her life as the innocent, naïve ‘good girl’ archetype. After bearing the brunt of her mother’s expectations and escaping her relationship that was as exciting as dishwater, Tessa meets Harden: the embodiment of every Wattpad bad boy, right from the narcissistic attitude down to the heavily tattooed sleeves. With Harry Styles as the true inspiration behind Harden’s character, it isn’t hard to see why so many viewers and readers idolize the fictional relationship, allowing the franchise to grow incredibly.
Although the popularity of the series exploded greatly in the literary realms of cringe rom coms, there are clear parallels between ‘After’ and other popular franchises such as ‘Twilight’ and ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, that seem to romanticize the erratic and violent behaviour of the male characters in relation to their female counterparts. Furthermore, these other franchises frame their stories from a narrative distance, like the fantasy world of werewolves and vampires that ‘Twilight’ employs, or the billionaire lifestyle of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’. We are less likely to adopt the behaviours of these characters as they are so far removed from reality. ‘After’, however, is set in a much more realistic setting that mimics the lives of teens and young adults around the world, and therefore may leave a lasting impression on the way we view our own relationships.
Hardin as a character appeals to many young girls’ ideals. Owning the bad boy aesthetic, we see his secret intellectual genius as he marvels over classic novels like Wuthering Heights. His popularity stems from the common cringey trope of ‘changing the bad boy’. Despite his idealistic qualities, there are many instances throughout the series that foreground the clear signs of manipulation Tessa experiences in her turbulent relationship with Hardin, encouraging emotionally abusive behaviour as though it is normal.
As these narratives are so easily accessible in popular culture, they can shape the attitudes of the young and impressionable audience that are engaging with them. Examples of this behaviour are scattered throughout the ‘After’ books and films. From the plethora of questionable moments between Harden and Tessa, I have picked a handful that highlight the encouragement of harmful behaviour.
- Hardin constantly pushes for an exclusive relationship despite Tessa’s reluctance. He uses emotionally manipulative phrases to push her into doing what he wants, such as ‘I can’t live without you Tessa’.
- The pair constantly view any other person as a threat to their relationship. This promotes an unhealthy concept of trust to the viewers as they constantly accuse each other of flirting with other people just to create jealousy.
- Hardin attacks Tessa verbally in ways that he knows will considerably hurt her. Previous gifts she has received from him are held over her head, proving him to play on her vulnerability.
We often watch these types of films as a fun escape from our everyday lives, yet they subconsciously shape our expectations of what real and healthy relationships look like. It is important to remember that these relationships are cultivated for the sole reason of creating entertainment – the more drama the better. Characters like Hardin should be held accountable for their toxic traits, and in turn should be used as an example of the kind of behaviour that shouldn’t be accepted in a relationship. Unfortunately, due to the beloved ‘happy ending’ that is a treasured feature in many chick flicks, we are told to excuse and forgive the violent and abusive behaviour that is being portrayed.
Films and books don’t always have to be accurate. After all, your perception of a character or relationship is extremely subjective. Though, it’s important to remember that just because these characters are being played by conventionally attractive actors that seem to embody the perfect traits in a partner, they also provide examples of damaging and unhealthy behaviour that shouldn’t be excused in the real world.