we have brains
about whb

Sexual assault and the media

June 7, 2004 01:36 PM posted by alison : track it (0)

I think I'm late in posting! Ack!
Lately however I've been thinking of a topic, so it works out well that I should be posting. I watched the latest installment in Charlies Angels for the big screen and noticed that twice, Drew Barrymores character was almost raped. This was the only situation from which she could not extract herself. All others she was able to save herself from, including being shot at and being violently attacked by thugs, even the thug who was trying to rape her.
This made me think about rape in entertainment. CSI often shows flashbacks to rapes and has sexual assult as a storyline quite often. Survivor featured a sexual assult by one character to another, which was (in my opinion) quite underrepresented as a serious action. Many television shows and movies feature rape or a sexual assault as a plot point without warning the audience or reflecting on the seriousness of it all. There's a whole section in 'Cunt' on suggestions of how to react to this. However, I'm going to turn it to you all.
My question is thus, now that I have preached at you. What are your feelings on all of this? What do you do when you are presented with this form of entertainment? Do you feel that it is necessary in a portrayal of real life, or is it overdone and overused? If it is used, what kind of warning - if any - should be placed on the media?

« grrrly news 06/06 | whb homepage | The Promise Keepers »

your comments : post a new comment

I have written about this in my blog before. I'm surprised that you didn't mention Law & Order SVU, which is an entire fictional series all about rape and sexual assault. I don't have the time or headspace to write a new entry about this issue, but my analysis of the treatment of sexual violence in that particular program (with implications for others) may be found here.

Posted by: house9 on June 10, 2004 09:11 AM |

My comments are on my blog. I do want to add that on the subject of Law and Order SVU, at least it shows rape and sexual assault as a bad thing. It's the only show I know of that doesn't eroticize the crimes - it models a normal response to them in the form of disgust by the detectives and prosecution of offenders.

Posted by: Morgaine Swann on June 11, 2004 06:53 AM |

I haven't watched Charlies Angels or CSI, so I can't comment on that. One show that I do think treats the topic of rape and assault realistically and respectfully is Strong Medicine. They don't sexualize the crime, and the emotions of the victims are not exploited. In this case, I'm not sure that it is presented as a form of "entertainment" because it doesn't seem like we are supposed to get off on it in any way.
Shows that are fiction or fictionalized, though, don't bug me very much about how they present rape or anything else. I'm more concerned with how the news media deals with real-life crimes, survivors, and the guilty.

Posted by: Kerri on June 15, 2004 08:44 AM |

Finally got my comments up. I didn't realize there was a new post here for a while since it didn't pop to the top of my blogroll. Whenever someone posts, they may want to go ping blogroll so people will know it's there. In any case, my response is here

Posted by: Vic... on June 16, 2004 02:17 PM |

About your question - where can you find the best online universities and get an accredited online degree that will raise your salary: our online education site on-line-degree.org is helping working professionals like you get online degrees in only 2 years while working. For example, the university of phoenix offers the best online bachelor degree in many fields. Get your online degree now.

Posted by: Online University on September 9, 2004 02:10 AM |

Your comments reminded me about a paper I saw presented on, of all things, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The author discussed how, though rapes are shown with alarming frequency, the aftermath is rarely shown, more than "I was raped, it was him. Go get him, Sam Waterson!" In other words, no one ever shows the process of the victim trying to come to terms with herself and move on to a somewhat normal state.

This paper suggested that season 6 of Buffy is a metaphor for what happens after a rape. (Warning: if you would like to see this season and haven't, stop reading because I'm going to give spoilers).
At the end of season 5, Buffy, the heroine, gives her life to save the world. Season 6 begins with her friend Willow, along with others, resurrecting her to protect them. It is this action that is the metaphorical "rape", with Willow (a lesbian) as the rapist. Her friends assume they have saved her from a hell dimension, but she tells us (and later, them) that she was really in heaven.

Some instances of post-rape behavior are Buffy's constant distraction, her belief that something is wrong with her, seeking out someone she does not like for violent, secretive sex, and not telling her friends what is wrong (or that she was in heaven) because "they didn't want to know."

I think this is very interesting, and it figures that the show that would finally address rape for more than just one story would (a) have a female protagonist and (b) be off the air now.

Posted by: Mel on November 4, 2004 09:04 AM |

Found this link while searching Google, thanks

Posted by: Cameltoes on March 27, 2005 01:48 PM |

archives (by subject)
about the site
activism
collab topics
grrrly news
miscellany
opinions
posting guidelines
recommended reading
staff profiles
they have brains
complete archive list

be assimilated

use our RSS 2.0 feed

enter email address; get weekly topics in your inbox:

< ? diary of a feminist ! >

about us message board supporters