Many stories follow different stereotypes, and with those stereotypes we find tropes. Tropes are commonly used plot structures, themes, or storylines. Many people have tropes that they prefer over others, and more favored tropes hit the tops of our shelves and for-you pages on social media. Although we have debates about what the best trope is, what about the worst? I have one for you: Mafia Romance. Before you begin to laugh at me through this newspaper, I would like to explain why I think this way.
Firstly, what the heck is with the obsession over bad boys? Seeing girls drool over the boys who commit crimes, harm others, and do shady things makes me concerned. I am only going to say this once, BEING A BAD PERSON IS NOT COOL! People shouldn’t be uplifting the idea of being a criminal, but rather being kind and considerate, and overall a good person. Yes, I know these are fictional stories we’re talking about, but stories spread ideas.
The secondary vice to this trope: the girl is always stupid or helpless. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the female protagonist is like a damsel in distress. She winds up getting into trouble out of nowhere (usually after doing something she shouldn’t have or being in a place where she shouldn’t be), and ends up wrapped up in a situation between life and death. Now, who in their right mind is going to walk through a shady alleyway at 2 in the morning… ALONE? Nobody! Especially as a girl, being outside at night with nobody to accompany you is an absolute disaster waiting to happen. This aspect of this trope is demeaning towards women because no, only 0.001% (that is not an actual statistic) of women will do something like this. What would enhance these stories is having women who are smart, calculated, and fend for themselves, or at least have common sense.
Finally, all of these stories are very illogical and extremely inaccurate. Of course, these writings are just for entertainment purposes. However, adding more accuracy to a story will bring it to life, and show the gruesome beauty of this form of love story. Leading a life of crime isn’t something to be glorified, and showing true colors of that is important for an audience.
Would you still indulge in this trope? Try picking up the cover of another story! Every story is different from another, and enlightening yourself with new things is always worthwhile. The greatest stories are the ones that we least expect.
