Apparently there are people out there on social media who are upset that the actor (Zac Efron) in the new Ted Bundy movie “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” is too attractive.

I have yet to see the movie myself, but I have seen pictures of the actual Ted Bundy –and guess what? He’s pretty darn good looking!

I don’t understand why this is upsetting to people. Attractiveness isn’t a measure of goodness. It isn’t a reward for morality. And the way someone looks on the outside isn’t going to alert you to their inner darkness.

Serial killers and psychopaths are often attractive and charming, Ted Bundy being one of the most famously charming ones.

It seems people feel he doesn’t deserve to be portrayed by an attractive actor. But as I said earlier, attractiveness isn’t a moral trait. And failing to accurately portray Bundy as he was would be doing a huge disservice to the audience.

Personally, I believe the whole point of creating a documentary or film about real serial killers is to inform the public. Sure, there’s entertainment value. But I think that’s just the bells and whistles that help market the documentary’s true value: to learn how these people’s minds work so we can protect ourselves.

And the value we get from this isn’t so much in identifying serial killers. Because that is rare. But abusers use many of these same tactics, and chances are you all have met someone who has been abused or been an abuser.

The reality is, it could happen to you. Someday, you might meet a psychopath or narcissist. And chances are, they will seem completely normal. Not just normal, but very likely charming and yes, even attractive.

These are master manipulators, and portraying them as creepy or off-putting would only give a false sense of security.

Being honest about the charm and charisma of serial killers and abusers helps the general public better understand how to protect themselves. Because yes, there can be such a thing as “too charming.” If you think someone can do no wrong, they might be manipulating you. If your friends and family are telling you something is wrong, and you are angry because how could they say such a thing about this perfect person, you may be in an abusive relationship.

So let’s stop using physical appearance to represent morality.