Netflix in the past few years released highly trendy true crime documentaries and TV series about well-known killers like Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the most recent one about the Menendez brothers. It is almost impossible not to realize how popular they have become. Audiences are going crazy about murderers, expressing fan behavior, empathy, or even fascination. Initially, women would send Ted Bundy nude photos, love letters, and even marriage proposals. Fast forward to the release of the Dahmer TV series, and just months later, people were dressing up as him for Halloween. Now, the Menendez brothers have become the latest obsession, with fans romanticizing them and advocating for their release from prison.
I am going to focus more on the latest crush of internet girls’ – the Menendez brothers. A few weeks ago Netflix released a TV series Monsters and a documentary called The Menendez Brothers about their case. The Menendez brothers are imprisoned for killing their parents when they were 19 and 20 years old, a tragic outcome stemming from years of alleged molestation by their parents. The fact that Netflix produced two separate pieces of content about the story highlights the true crime genre’s significance and widespread popularity among audiences, of which the majority is women.
Firstly, I did not watch the TV series after feeling somewhat shocked by the poster depicting two highly sexualized shirtless men almost suggesting gay behavior. I believe that Netflix, by intertwining true crime stories with elements of attraction, romance, and glamour to meet viewers’ entertainment needs, often crosses moral boundaries and diminishes the tragic aspects of these narratives. Consequently, the fact of killing is just ignored, girls on TikTok continue to confess love and attraction to murderers, seeing them rather as victims and not killers. According to research, people instinctively trust people they deem to be attractive – so it is difficult to watch true crime TV shows with good-looking actors and not stay on their side. Kim Kardashian and other celebrities also expressed their opinions supportive of freeing brothers from prison.
Secondly, the reason why this case became public again is TikTok. Content creators on that platform discovered video archives from the court proceedings related to the Menendez brothers’ case and started the discussion of freeing them from prison. The same videotapes are also widely presented in the Netflix documentary. My personal theory is that the case has gained popularity recently, in part due to the aesthetics and visuals of those archived materials. Video archives match current trends and aesthetics in fashion and visual representations of the 90s. I believe, content creators just find it (subconsciously) beautiful to use for their videos. In addition, they depict two attractive men in vulnerable positions, which may evoke empathy and sympathy in women.
The fascination with the Menendez brothers and similar true crime stories reveals a troubling trend in modern media. While Netflix combines sensationalism with attractive visuals, this approach raises moral questions about how we portray real-life tragedies. As audiences, especially young women, romanticize murderers, we risk desensitization to violence.
Platforms like TikTok reignite interest in these cases, often overshadowing the seriousness of the crimes. Celebrity endorsements for the Menendez brothers’ release can trivialize issues of violence and victimization. Ultimately, we must question why society is drawn to the allure of killers and remain aware of the real human suffering behind these narratives.
More statistics on true crime TV shows and movies.
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