History Main / ShockValueRelationship

* In ''Series/{{Degrassi}},'' Claire invited Eli over for dinner with her parents just as a way of shocking them with his black clothes, hearse, and chain necklaces to get back at them for getting a divorce. Eli was completely humiliated that she used him like that.

* In ''Literature/MurdochMysteries'', Arthur Carmichael is an arrogant rich playboy who begins dating, and eventually marries, Miss Hart, and makes no secret of the fact this is largely to scandalise high society (because she's black), just as she makes no secret of the fact that ''her'' main interest is [[GoldDigger his money]], to the extent that [[spoiler: she drugs him with a paralytic to make him sign it over to her]]. They do seem to develop some kind of affection for each other, though, and [[spoiler: she's horrified when her father murders him]].

** Miranda pretends to date a lesbian in an early episode to curry favour with the boss at her law firm. Fun fact, Cynthia Nixon who played Miranda have later come out as a late-in-life lesbian.

This seems to mostly happen with girls, due to the idea that people (particularly [[OverprotectiveDad relatives]]) are more invested in [[UnableToSupportAWife who]] a women is [[DatingWhatDaddyHates dating]] than who a man is dating. The character who's serious about the relationship will probably come across as TheWoobie for their [[AllLoveIsUnrequited one-sided affections]].

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'': In "Recap/BatmanTheAnimatedSeriesE47BirdsOfAFeather", socialite Veronica Vreeland is eager to be the center of attention when she arrives at a party with the Penguin. Next to this ugly oaf she will look flawless, and her RichBitch friends will have a good laugh at his expense. This plan backfires: Penguin charms her with his wit and Vreeland has a HeelRealization.

** Lady Rose then proceeds to avert this in Series 5, when she marries Atticus Aldridge, the son of Lord Sinderby; the Aldridges are Jewish, and the proposal causes quite a stir...among the Aldridges, particularly Lord Sinderby, as (1) Lady Rose's parents are getting divorced and (2) they want their grandchildren to be raised Jewish (as Judaism runs in the maternal line, the children would have to convert as adults to be considered Jewish under Jewish law). Lord Sinderby calls Rose everything but a [[ShiksaGoddess shiksa]]. (Actually, he ''does'' call her a shiksa, but Lady Sinderby makes him take it back.) Mind you, it's not that there isn't some racism on Rose's side of the family, but the Crawleys--who are pretty much her main family by this point--have already had the much-more-shocking marriage to Branson and are relieved to see Rose marry a man of her own class. However, the Crawleys are already part-Jewish through Lady Grantham's father Isidore Levinson,[[note]]A German Jewish immigrant to the U.S.--most likely a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48ers 48er]] who made his money in dry goods; he allowed his Episcopalian wife to raise the children as Protestants, but never made any bones about where he came from[[/note]] and defend the marriage from all manner of antisemitism (in one particularly exquisite incident, Lady Grantham replies to one acquaintance's disapproving remarks by saying, in effect, "[[YouKnowImBlackRight you know my father was Jewish, right]]?").

** Lady Rose then proceeds to avert this in Series 5, when she marries Atticus Aldridge, the son of Lord Sinderby; the Aldridges are Jewish, and the proposal causes quite a stir...among the Aldridges, particularly Lord Sinderby, as (1) Lady Rose's parents are getting divorced and (2) they want their grandchildren to be raised Jewish (as Judaism runs in the maternal line, the children would have to convert as adults to be considered Jewish under Jewish law). Lord Sinderby calls Rose everything but a [[ShiksaGoddess shiksa]]. Mind you, it's not that there isn't some racism on Rose's side of the family, but the Crawleys--who are pretty much her main family by this point--have already had the much-more-shocking marriage to Branson and are relieved to see Rose marry a man of her own class. However, the Crawleys are already part-Jewish through Lady Grantham's father Isidore Levinson,[[note]]A German Jewish immigrant to the U.S.--most likely a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48ers 48er]] who made his money in dry goods; he allowed his Episcopalian wife to raise the children as Protestants, but never made any bones about where he came from[[/note]] and defend the marriage from all manner of antisemitism (in one particularly exquisite incident, Lady Grantham replies to one acquaintance's disapproving remarks by saying, in effect, "[[YouKnowImBlackRight you know my father was Jewish, right]]?").

** Lady Rose then proceeds to avert this in Series 5, when she marries Atticus Aldridge, the son of Lord Sinderby; the Aldridges are Jewish, and the proposal causes quite a stir...among the Aldridges, particularly Lord Sinderby, as (1) Lady Rose's parents are getting divorced and (2) they want their grandchildren to be raised Jewish (as Judaism runs in the maternal line, the children would have to convert as adults to be considered Jewish under Jewish law). Lord Sinderby calls Rose everything but a [[ShiksaGoddess shiksa]]. Mind you, it's not that there isn't some racism on Rose's side of the family, but the Crawleys--who are pretty much her main family by this point--have already had the much-more-shocking marriage to Branson and are relieved to see Rose marry a man of her own class. However, the Crawleys are already part-Jewish through Lady Grantham's father Isidore Levinson,[[note]]A German Jewish immigrant to the U.S.--most likely a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48ers 48er]] who made his money in dry goods; he allowed his Episcopalian wife to raise the children as Protestants, but never made any bones about where he came from[[/note]] and defend the marriage from all manner of antisemitism (in one particularly exquisite incident, Lady Grantham replies to one acquaintance's disapproving remarks by replying, in effect, "[[YouKnowImBlackRight you know my father was Jewish, right]]?").

** Lady Rose then proceeds to avert this in Series 5, when she marries Atticus Aldridge, the son of Lord Sinderby; the Aldridges are Jewish, and the proposal causes quite a stir...among the Aldridges, particularly Lord Sinderby, as (1) Lady Rose's parents are getting divorced and (2) they want their grandchildren to be raised Jewish (as Judaism runs in the maternal line, the children would have to convert as adults to be considered Jewish under Jewish law). Lord Sinderby calls Rose everything but a [[ShiksaGoddess shiksa]]. Mind you, it's not that there isn't some racism on Rose's side of the family, but the Crawleys--who are pretty much her main family by this point--have already had the much-more-shocking marriage to Branson and are relieved to see Rose marry a man of her own class. However, the Crawleys are already part-Jewish through Lady Grantham's father Isidore Levinson (a German Jewish immigrant--most likely a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/48ers 48er]] who made his money in dry goods; he allowed his Episcopalian wife to raise the children as Protestants, but never made any bones about where he came from.)

* Subverted (kind of) on ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' when Craig and Tweek become a couple.