In a short span of time, Ted Bundy has been the subject of both a film (Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile) starring Zac Efron and a Netflix original show (Conversation with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes). Despite being a true crime enthusiast, I can’t claim to have watched either. It seems that I’m the only one who isn’t watching it, as social media and even news sites have become full of conversations about the killer. In fact, it was only after seeing the headlines and the tweets that I became aware that the show even existed. It’s unsurprising that people have taken an interest in the show, humans seem predisposed to a curiosity for the gruesome, but what shocked me was that some people seem to have forgotten that Bundy is a depraved murderer, not their #MCM.

In case you don’t know, Ted Bundy was a 70s serial killer who abducted, raped, and murdered around 30 young women and girls. Bundy denied the murders for decades, but later confessed to 30, however many believe that he likely committed more than 30 murders. One tactic used by Bundy was to lure women into his vehicle by manipulating their sympathy and utilising his own good looks. He would fake an injury and ask for their help with loading boxes into his car, and then overpower and kidnap them. Bundy was described as charismatic and handsome, which he strategically capitalised on. Viewers of the recent Bundy series seem to have fallen into the exact same trap, taking to social media to praise his appearance or discuss how he allegedly lost 25 pounds in a week. Seeing these tweets made my stomach churn, there is something viscerally disgusting about talking about a prolific serial killer as though he’s the cute new boy at school.

Ted Bundy is inexcusably and incontestably an evil human being. He decapitated 12 people and kept their heads in his home as trophies, as well as raping the decapitated corpses. He washed women’s hair and put makeup on them after murdering them. He returned to crime scenes to rape corpses or dress them up. 7 of his victims were children under the age of 18, with two girls as young as 12. One of the 12-year-olds, Kimberly Leach, was abducted from the playground of her school, raped, and murdered. He bit a woman’s breast leaving her nipple almost detached. He ‘practised’ outside of his murder sprees by abducting women and releasing them. I list all these horrors, despite the disgust it fills me with, to reiterate the true extent of Bundy’s crimes. When you coo over Bundy’s appearance you either overlook or condone this behaviour. The tone of headlines like this one from The Tab is appaling. You should not be able to swap out the name Ted Bundy with Noah Centineo or Zac Efron and still have a functioning headline.

Netflix even tweeted to address the issue because it became so prevalent. As the tweet points out, there are “thousands of hot men” on Netflix, and Ted Bundy should not be considered one of them. Talking about Bundy’s attractiveness or his weight loss is beyond creepy, it’s dangerous. It risks inspiring copycats, as well as trivialising the extreme suffering of his victims.

It honestly baffles me that this is a post I’m writing. Never did I think that 2019 would start off with people crushing on a convicted serial killer. In conclusion: have a crush on absolutely anyone else. Hang posters of One Direction over every corner of your wall, scream your lungs out at a Take That concert, write a love letter to Chris Evans; I really don’t care what you’re doing as long as it doesn’t involve a depraved killer.

Read a book, enjoy the sunshine, tidy up. Until next time, take care of yourself. x

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