Netflix’s controversial new series about Jeffrey Dahmer has been criticized for potentially romanticizing the infamous serial killer since it premiered last week. And sure enough, a bizarre trend on TikTok finds users of the social media platform thirsting over Evan Peters’s portrayal of Dahmer.
The Ryan Murphy produced series Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story “examines the gruesome and horrific true crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and the systemic failures that enabled one of America’s most notorious serial killers to continue his murderous spree in plain sight for over a decade,” according to the streamer’s official logline.
Despite the series’ purported focus on the homophobia and racism that prevented authorities from stopping Dahmer sooner, critics have noted that casting Peters, who has become something of a sex symbol for his roles in other Murphy productions, in the lead role glamorizes the killer who brutally murdered 17 men and boys, most of whom were people of color.
According to The Daily Dot, the “Dahmer” tag on TikTok now has more than one billion views, with users posting videos expressing lust and even sympathy for the killer.
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@auntiesjx I can’t be the only one? #fyp #jeffreydahmer #dahmer #phycology #empathy #stockholmsyndrome #serialkillee
@thelovelyloganblair forgive me 😂😂#dahmer #evanpeters #sofineforwhat
Others have re-edited scenes from the series to resemble a romantic comedy, with many users commenting that they were “rooting for” Dahmer and victim Anthony Hughes to live happily ever after.
@vuosix Tony… :( #monsterdahmer #netflix #jeffreydahmer #evanpeters #crimen #crime #fyp #dahmer #jeffreylioneldahmer
the comments are saying that anthony hughes and jeffrey dahmer seemed good together, made each other happy and said that they were rooting for them. pic.twitter.com/ZZGCHAnzU4
— lilian (@liliandaisies) September 24, 2022
The meme is particularly tasteless considering the outcry over the series from the families of some of Dahmer’s victims.
“I know true crime media is huge rn, but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show,” tweeted Eric Perry, the cousin of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsey. “It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?”
“When I saw some of the show, it bothered me,” Rita Isbell, Lindsey’s sister told Insider. “It’s sad that they’re just making money off of this tragedy.”
Despite all this, the series became the #1 show on Netflix last week, and according to Variety, it was the most talked-about show on social media that week as well. Following backlash from subscribers, the streamer removed the “LGBTQ+” tag from the series.
