The Love Triangle
Problematic:
When I first saw the show, and for many years thereafter, I was 110 percent Team Phantom. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much the Phantom (whose name, canonically, is Erik) was just so purely in love with Christine, and how boring-ass Raoul didn’t deserve her.
The problem here is that, after growing into an actual adult woman, I now see that a lot of The Phantom’s behaviors leave a bad taste in mouth. They remind me of the kind of guy who thinks he’s entitled to love from the object of his affections; the kind of guy who bemoans a woman’s taste in men while thinking if she just came to her senses she would choose him.
No one owes another person affection simply because they’re nice. And no one owes another person affection simply because they plucked you from obscurity and made you an opera star.
Why It’s Still A Phave:
Y’all, have you heard The Music of the Night?? When the right person sings it, it’s super swoony and gorgeous!
In all seriousness, I approach The Phantom’s gross attitudes of ownership Christine in a similar way that I approach many fairy tales or problematic stories from the past. The content of the story and its characters may not be something to live up to. Please DO NOT look to The Phantom of the Opera for love advice.
But when I see the show again or listen to the soundtrack for the umpteenth time, I’m able to remember how it used to make me feel. It made me imagine things that were dark, whimsical, and romantic in a melancholic way. Even if The Phantom of the Opera is a terrible template for a real life relationship, I can still enjoy revisiting the silly dreams of being whisked away for an erotic voice lesson or two.
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I was also a 11-year-old girl who wanted to be admired and discovered for her talents by an adult figure and found this movie to be everything and more! I was intrigued by the darkness and mystery and some of the songs and to this day the songs are the only I know how to play on the piano.
That being said, I saw that it is currently free on YouTube so I am watching it now. And find that the grooming process that takes place and then around 37 minutes in you start to see: Okay this was someone who raised her and replaced the role of her father....knowingly....and then after her first big show claims ownership, takes her back to his place "for one thing and on thing alone" and as an adult i see now that this is wildly cringe. I shouldn't have to explain why. but it's like every scene leading in to the next I'm shook with "holy sh** he is grooming her"