The Jerky Guy

This week's episode of 9021o featured Naomi and her new love interest, Liam. They both were on a spring break trip with Habitat for Humanity. Liam was forced to go, and Naomi went because she wanted to spend time with him. Liam is always a jerk to everyone that he meets. He treats Naomi meanly on a regular basis. He ignores her and acts like he is mad at her frequently. However, when the mood strike him, he sweeps her off her feet and makes out with her. He is totally bipolar towards her, yet she is still completely infatuated with him. She thinks he is extremely attractive, and she finds his bad boy vibe appealing. The more that he ignores her, and the worse that he treats her, the more she is drawn to him. Her ex-boyfriend tells her that he thinks Liam is a jerk, and she agrees, but then says he's hot and she wonders if he likes her. The episode demonstrates the classic girl falls for boy who doesn't treat her right scenario. The media portrays these jerky men as incredibly desirable, and they almost try and justify their mistreatment of other people as sexy and mysterious. This is a dangerous message for young girls. It tells them that it's okay for guys to treat them badly because it's all just part of their bad boy charm.