Dr Phil #DefendingAbuse: Video Blogger Says Abuse Is a Sign of Love

Dr Phil: Shocking Viral Video

Dr Phil’s guest Romina was an 18-year-old video blogger whose stunning message went viral. She visited the show because Dr Phil was very concerned about something she had to say regarding domestic violence: “If your boyfriend hits you, it’s a sign of love.”

Romina has 153,000 followers online who watch her videos and interact with her. Some of them look to her as an inspiration or a role model. Dr Phil was concerned about what she might be communicating to them with messages like this.

Dr Phil: Video Blogger Says Abuse Is a Sign of Love

Within the first two days of its posting, Romina’s video message, in which she told young girls that abuse is a sign of love, received two million views online. Since then, it has added three million more.

Romina said she has been feeling the backlash and thinks that this is all a misunderstanding. She felt that her boyfriend must really care for her if he would risk his freedom to hit her, I think. Whatever her line of reasoning was, she was missing an important part of the picture.

Dr Phil: Young Girls In Harm’s Way

Even the audience members were making faces of confusion and disbelief as Romina stumbled through her rationalization of abuse. She also said that young women reach out to her for advice on social media. “Your logic is flawed at so many levels,” Dr Phil said.

He added that he normally would not have her as a guest, but “I am very concerned that the idiotic message that you’re putting out there could cause an innocent young girl to put herself in harm’s way following that logic and get herself hurt.” He went on to call her message “irresponsible” and “ridiculous.”

Dr Phil: Making Videos for Attention

Romina posted a second video in which she said that she broke up with her boyfriend because “he wasn’t beating me hard enough.” Dr Phil suggested that maybe she was making these videos in a bid to get attention. If so, I guess it worked.

She said that she was already famous for a sports-themed video, but apparently she got her facts wrong in that, so it is probably viral for reasons she does not even realize. It’s one thing to be a naive teenager, but it’s another to advocate for domestic violence.

Dr Phil: #DefendingAbuse

On this show, Dr Phil also introduced Romina to Nancy, who was 19 years old when her abusive ex set her on fire. That’s a lot different from Romina’s selfie-style confessional video blog stories.

Hopefully Romina’s experience at Dr Phil’s show helped her to get more perspective on the big picture so that she can stop sharing such a dangerous message with impressionable young people. Use the hashtag #DefendingAbuse to share your reactions to Romina’s story on social media.

Dr Phil: Abusive Behavior Characteristics

Are you worried that your relationship could be crossing the line into abusive? Maybe you have concerns about a close friend’s situation. Here are some characteristics to look for in an abusive partner.

• Mood Swings
• History of Physical Violence
• Cruelty to Children and/or Animals
• Threatening Behavior
• Verbal Abuse
• Use of Force in Disagreements
• Controlling Behavior
• Irrational Jealousy
• Breaking Items

If you are concerned for yourself or someone else, there is help available. Take advantage of resources from The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE or ndvh.org.