Pretty Little Liars debuted 15 years ago this month.
It was one of the most-watched TV shows for the young adult scene.
Lasting seven seasons was an incredible feat, especially with the problematic storytelling.
During the initial watch, things that should have raised my suspicions and made me say, “Hmm?” didn’t.
However, during a rewatch, there were several moments that, now, as an adult with teenage children, gave me pause.
These are some inappropriate storylines from our Pretty Little Liars 2025 rewatch.
Inappropriate Relationships With Minors
While Aria and Ezra were the obvious choice for this inappropriate relationships category, they aren’t the only couple who raised eyebrows.
Spencer had an affinity for her sister, Melissa’s, men.
Her relationships with Ian and Wren were questionable, and that isn’t the worst of it. Ian also had a relationship with Alison while Wren and Hanna had a thing.
Meanwhile, Emily’s relationship with Talia was another pairing that has us questioning everything about why there were so many relationships with underage girls.
It’s unclear the age difference between Emily and Talia, but the latter was married, insinuating she was older than the high schooler.
Mental Health Brush-Off
There were several instances throughout the seven seasons of Pretty Little Liars where a mental health situation was downplayed.
From an eating disorder to a pill addiction, Pretty Little Liars did a disservice to viewers by not handling things with more caution and care.
The Radley Sanitarium often gave off the notion that mental health issues were bad, perpetuating the stigma that seems to follow people who battle with them today.
It was a disservice to the mental health community, including struggling teens who watched Pretty Little Liars.
Pretty Little Liars Plot Twists
One of the most off-the-wall storylines with an outrageous plot twist was Alison becoming pregnant with Emily’s embryos.
The idea that it was done without consent from either party, making it a sexual assault that was glossed over.
We live in a world where consent lines are being blurred, and had this aired now instead of 2010, we may not have blinked an eye.
However, this storyline seemingly glamorized what happened between Alison and Emily. They eventually married and raised their twin little girls together.
Pretty Little Liars Highlighted Trauma Bonds
While the ladies were friends, things only deepened when Alison “died” and they began being terrorized by “A.”
What the writers and the storyline depicted was a bunch of teen girls who were trauma-bonded.
Friendships weren’t authentic. They were formed because they were forced to rely on each other for survival.
Watching the high school-aged girls lean on each other as their only hope of survival and being tormented for years was uncomfortable.
It sent the message that trauma-bonding was accepted and shouldn’t be that way.
Using the LGBTQIA Community In An Unhelpful Way
Pretty Little Liars could have positively impacted the LGBTQIA community if things had been done correctly.
It could have been a space where teens and young adults felt safe instead of a show that killed off the queer people or turned them into monsters.
Turning Charlotte into the villain was a great example of using the transgender character as the big bad.
Playing into tropes in marginalized communities isn’t a good look, and viewers called it out — even back then.
Have you rewatched Pretty Little Liars since it finished airing? What stuck out to you as an OMG or WTF moment?
It’s like yelling into the void sometimes — so if you’re out there, holler back.
Comments, shares, and good vibes all keep this little ship afloat.
Watch Pretty Little Liars Online
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