Content Warning: Please be advised this story contains brief mentions of physical and emotional violence.
Chuck Bass is anything but a hero. Can we talk about why?
Jess Mariano from Gilmore Girls, Damon Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries, and Steven Hyde from That ’70s Show are prime examples of a “bad boy” turned good. However, the first person that comes to mind is, without a doubt, Chuck Bass.
He is known as the man who loved Blair Waldorf so much that he travelled all the way to Paris to buy her macarons. Gossip Girl fans tend to rave over the character’s qualities and ignore his many, many flaws. Should this admiration continue? While TikTok and Instagram will throw fan-made edits of Bass’ best moments to convince you of his greatness, I’m here to tell you that they are far from the truth.
While there could be a dictionary published about Bass’ shameful actions over the series — assault, deceit, and betrayal, to list a few — my arguments stem from the relationship between Chuck and Blair. As a side note, they have the worst ship name in the television universe, “Chair.”
In Season 3, Episode 16, Chuck sells Blair to his uncle for a hotel. For a hotel?! He sold the woman he was supposed to love to regain his business. Modern-day romance, am I right?
But wait, it doesn’t stop there. When Blair refused to “belong” to him, he resorted to physical violence and punched the window — which was conveniently right by her face. If you were wondering, she did, in fact, get injured. But we forgive his actions because he’s Chuck Bass, and he secretly rigged the votes so that Blair could be prom queen.
Chuck Bass is not the only “bad boy” who continues to be idolized. Take Steven Hyde, for example, who cheated on Jackie. Audiences continue to root for him because he was “misunderstood” and was put in a “tough position.” Damon Salvatore gave Elena Gilbert his own blood to make her one of his own, despite her consistent requests not to. Yet, we are told to ignore it because the guy is in love with the girl and made “one” wrong decision.
These are not the only TV shows perpetuating the idea that women should give the “bad boy” a chance.
We see an overwhelming amount of support for Jess Mariano — the brooding boy who essentially deserted Rory. He claimed that she was the love of his life, but he fled Stars Hollow without telling her. His actions were despicable, but we still consider him one of TV’s best boyfriends. The love fans have for Mariano should be directed to Dave Rygalski from Gilmore Girls, who read the entire Bible in one night so that he might have a chance to take Lane to prom.
The question still remains: why do we continue to vouch for the toxic man? Why do we yearn for our favourite characters to end up in relationships with people who have so clearly treated them so badly? We should root for the Rygalskis’ of the world and refrain from encouraging the Marianos.
The media has told us that we need to forgive the people who hurt us, but would you let your best friend forgive someone who left them in the dust without explanation? The concept of bettering the bad boy is entertaining, but I beg you to stop wishing that trope upon yourself. While I may not know you, I can confidently say that you deserve better than Chuck Bass.