Jadyn Soares ’25, Editor-in-Chief

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds pose for pictures at the New York premiere of “It Ends With Us.” (Image Courtesy of Forbes)

Flowers. Rekindled relationships. Love. 

Emotional abuse. Domestic violence.

On August 9, 2024, “It Ends With Us,” based on Colleen Hoover’s book of the same name, was released in theaters nationwide — introducing viewers to the world of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), an up-and-coming florist dreaming of meeting and falling in love with the perfect guy. And if viewers knew nothing about the plot, deciding to watch the movie based solely on the way it was marketed, they might have anticipated this idyllic story: Lily Bloom would open her own flower shop, meet the man of her dreams, and live happily ever after.

Well, imagine the surprise when these viewers learned that “It Ends With Us” is not all flowers, romance, and happiness. Instead, it documents a young woman’s struggles with an abusive, domestically-violent partner. 

This misrepresentation is precisely why the “It Ends With Us” press tour was the subject of mass backlash across social media this summer. Instead of acknowledging domestic violence and the darker central themes of the story in promotional trailers, the movie’s marketing team focused its campaign on a fun, light-hearted romance. 

Lively, in particular, has been criticized for appearing shallow and tone-deaf — even using the movie’s press tour to promote her own hair care line, Blake Brown. In one video posted to the official “It Ends With Us” TikTok page, Lively tells the audience: “Grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see [It Ends With Us],” according to the New York Times. She incorporated florals into every one of her press tour outfits — overshadowing the movie’s important message about toxic relationships by conveying a false image of beauty and romance. 

This disparity between the marketing and actual content of “It Ends With Us” showcases the responsibility and accountability that is necessary when portraying such serious themes. The press tour’s lack of attention toward these subjects implicitly disregards the real-life experiences of people who have gone through such things. 

Domestic violence is not a plot twist, but a reality for countless people worldwide. In fact, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, “over 1 in 3 women (35.6%) and 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the US have experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime.” Failing to address or give voice to survivors who have lived through abuse — especially in the campaigning of a movie that is so focused on the topic — is inherently shameful. Instead of taking the opportunity that the movie had to focus on intergenerational trauma and cyclical abuse, the drama created by the tumultuous marketing of “It Ends With Us” diluted the experiences of the one demographic that perhaps mattered most: survivors of domestic violence.

In a post-#MeToo society, where topics of abuse and gender dynamics are more sensitive than ever before, it is all the more pertinent to handle such content in the correct manner, preventing widespread repercussions. As Fashion Magazine puts it, perhaps “the ‘It Ends With Us’ drama is just an indicator that the film shouldn’t have been made” in the first place, as it is “extremely difficult to cover the topic of domestic violence in the sensitive and thoughtful way it deserves, especially in an ego and money-driven industry like Hollywood.” 

The way that such topics were handled this summer is a clear reminder that domestic violence and abuse should never be overlooked or overshadowed. At the end of the day, this is a lesson that “It Ends With Us” failed to grasp, but one that Hollywood should never forget.