6 Toxic Female Characters We Used to Love But Just Can't Stand Anymore
In the last few years our society has become much more conscious than, say, a decade ago.
What once seemed to be the norm – gaslighting (a form of psychological abuse), devaluing or romanticizing toxic relationships – is now essentially stigmatized. People have realized that such behavior and attitudes toward one another can damage mental health and also ruin lives.
This newly acquired knowledge helps to look at the culture of the last century from a different perspective. Particularly the movie industry, which in many ways sets the trends not only for fashion but also for social standards.
Kate Austen (Lost)
Initially, the character, played by Evangeline Lilly, seems very mysterious. But as the plot progresses, it becomes apparent that Kate Austen is a selfish and manipulative woman who blatantly took advantage of the feelings of James Sawyer and Jack Shephard. What initially looked like caution turned out to be quite a smart and thoughtful strategy.
Kate was never in a hurry to take responsibility for her actions, preferring to have someone else fix the situation instead of her. Her arrogance toward the other characters is particularly striking. Kate is always sure she knows best, which in reality is not the case at all.
Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City)
The main character of the series Sex and the City is far from perfect. Carrie Bradshaw almost never understood what she really needed. The men she chose eventually turned out to be narcissists or abusers, simply incapable of building a normal relationship. But instead of pointing out the problem, the show's producers preferred to blame Carrie herself, who also managed to do a lot of stupid things.
First of all, Bradshaw was never a good friend. She repeatedly shamed Samantha for her sexual promiscuity, forgot about Miranda when she needed her more than ever, and just could not understand nor respect Charlotte's feelings.
Allie Hamilton (The Notebook)
It seems that everyone has already criticized Nick Cassavetes' iconic romantic drama based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks.
Indeed, the film romanticizes a frankly unhealthy relationship. In real life, Allie and Noah would never be happy. However, we want to pay special attention to Allie's behavior, which in many ways was the reason for all the problems in the relationship.
The character of Rachel McAdams who had a cushy upbringing, periodically snapped at Noah, who was poor all his life and could never afford what she got so easily. Nor should we forget that Allie essentially cheated on her first fiancé with Noah, refusing to consider his feelings and expectations and, in the end, showing him total disrespect.
Gina Linetti (Brooklyn 9-9)
Captain Holt's assistant, Gina Linetti, at first glance seems to be an insanely charming and pleasant person. She is confident and just loves to poke fun at her co-workers, especially Charles Boyle. Gina maintains a pleasant, friendly atmosphere at the station and assists in solving particularly difficult problems.
In reality, however, there is another, darker side to Linetti. First of all, her attitude toward people is disturbing. Sometimes Gina's jokes toward Charles and Amy are just out of line. Her attitude toward Terry is just weird. And most importantly Linetti never deals with her direct duties, preferring to meddle in other people's affairs.
Rose (Titanic)
The vivid and emotional love story of Rose and Jack tends to make people turn a blind eye to some of the weird and frankly terrifying things these characters did to each other. At the beginning of the film, Kate Winslet's character is no different from any other member of high society.
During the first meeting with Jack, she behaves rather arrogantly and detached. Rose is also disrespectful towards her fiancé, who is not guilty of anything, and then even goes further and cheats on him.
Cristina Young (Grey's Anatomy)
The character, played by Sandra Oh, is a very experienced doctor. Cristina Young does a very important job of saving people's lives.
But she never misses an opportunity to brag about it and show everyone that she is the best here. Cristina’s main problem is her ego. Her eternal desire to bolster her self-esteem at the expense of her colleagues definitely does not help her. The worst thing is that in all the seasons of Grey's Anatomy, Cristina has never been able to reflect on her problem. Apparently, she did not even realize it.