‘Monster’ killer Ed Gein has gals going gaga — and it’s TikTok’s fault: study

But rather than there being something inherently “wrong” with women, particularly digitally-native Gen Zs, going gaga over Gein and his ilk, researchers from the UK blame TikTok for popularizing posts that romanticize the bad guys. 

“Hybristophilic videos on TikTok largely focus on the physical attractiveness of real and fictional offenders, especially through the sexualization of attractive actors,” study authors explained in the report. “They also romanticize antisocial personality traits and behaviors, appealing to women’s sympathy and desires for loyalty, protection and ‘fixing’ deviant men.”

The experts used actual serial killers, such as Ted Bundy, as well as fictitious slayers, like actor Penn Badgley as “Joe Goldberg” in Netflix’s “You,” as prime examples of irresistible assassins.

The investigators analyzed 66 videos and 91 comments on TikTok, all shared by women born between 1997 and 2012. The audit identified seven main themes, which the team categorized as “The Halo Effect,” “Actor-Offender Transference,” “Sympathy, Romance and APD,” “Protection and Loyalty,” “I Can Fix Him,” “Gen Z Irony” and “Victim Fantasy.” 

The halo effect — by which physical attractiveness appeared to bias users’ perceptions of offenders — shone as a leading factor in cases of hybristophilia, per the findings. 

“Attractive offenders were more likely to be described as ‘innocent’ or ‘misunderstood,’ and comments often suggested leniency or disbelief in guilt solely based on appearance,” revealed the research team. 

They found that young women would frequently defend handsome crooks, like Bundy, but rarely stick up for less hunky cutthroats like John Wayne Gacy. 

The actors cast to portray the criminals in true crime flicks and television series also made an impact on Zoomer gals. 

“Women’s attraction to these actors was often transferred onto the real offenders,” said the insiders, calling the phenomenon “the actor-offender transference effect.” 

“The data revealed that several actors who portrayed high-profile criminals, such as Zac Efron (Ted Bundy) and Zach Villa (Richard Ramirez), were consistently linked to the real-life offenders they played.“

But the Zoomers’ longing for lawbreakers doesn’t end there. 

“The halo effect was particularly evident in relation to content depicting offenders at trial,” said the authorities, pointing to killer Cameron Herrin’s “too cute” countenance in the courtroom.  

Luigi Mangione, who executed UnitedHealthcare CEO in December 2024, has, too, made the ladies sizzle with his sharp physique and style during legal proceedings. 

“Most of the defendants who were being justified by young women on TikTok were physically attractive, well-dressed men, and often had a ‘baby face’ which made them look more trustworthy,” study authors wrote. 

The specialists also conducted a cross-sectional survey of 95 women, ages 18 to 27, to determine their exposure to and engagement with hybristophilic content online. 

Participants responded to prompts such as “True love can heal an offender’s traumatized inner child,” ”I tend to associate real offenders with the actors who portray them,” and ”I sometimes fantasize about engaging in criminal activity with an offender,” by indicating how much they either agreed or disagreed with each statement. 

“Gen Z women’s hybristophilic tendencies increase with their level of engagement with hybristophilic content,” the examiners determined. 

And they hope their research inspires change across social media platforms. 

“These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to mitigate the influence of digital content on young women’s perceptions of offenders,” they wrote, “addressing the influence of power dynamics associated with Machiavellianism and psychopathy.”