One show doing it right.
Trigger Warning: Mention of sexual assault.
Out of every 6 American women, at least 1 will be the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. This horrifying yet all too common experience is depicted in mainstream media: Many popular drama series have story lines involving rape, for example. But the question remains: Is sheer volume of this coverage truly beneficial?
The vast majority of TV shows that depict narratives involving assault seem to do so in order to heighten tension and create scandal. Especially considering it’s statistically inevitable that a significant portion of a show’s viewers will be individuals who have survived assault, the phenomenon should ideally be carefully and purposely portrayed in order to show its severity, not to up the ante of a show. There are, however, some shows that I believe are tackling this important topic in a thoughtful and ultimately productive way.
The ABC Family show The Fosters, for example, tackles many important issues in an appropriate way, including rape: After one foster daughter is assaulted, she opens up about the experience to her foster-brother and, later, to her foster parents (and, it’s worth noting, the show has also covered the double standard of rape involving men). I was surprised that this plot was deemed suitable for a family drama, but impressed, too, as the crime wasn’t glamorized and the act never shown. Instead, the focus was placed on the lasting ramifications of the act on the survivor. This show tackles a very real, and very scary aspect of the foster care system and did so in an effective, educational way that will hopefully empower the audience to feel more comfortable creating safe and respectful environments for survivors.
Orange is the New Black has long been applauded for its portrayal of realistic women, and this extends to a scene in which an inmate is raped by a prison guard. The episode centers around the character Pennsatucky. The viewer is given a snapshot of her past, including her mother telling her that sex is like a bee sting — “in and out before you knew it was happening” — and a string of degrading relationships with men. When the prison guard rapes her, the camera focuses only on Pennsatucky’s defeated, pained face. The look is enough for the audience to grasp what is happening and shake viewers to their core, but also reflects that the character herself may not be clear as to what is happening. Orange is the New Black didn’t glamorize this act, but didn’t spell it out for the audience either, offering a glimpse into what is often an ambiguous, confusing experience for survivors themselves.
While these shows are making commendable progress, others are lagging far behind — perhaps most notably, Game of Thrones. While GOT is admittedly a completely different genre of show than the The Fosters and Orange is the New Black — which has led some people, therefore, to argue that the same rules don’t apply — the show has certainly faced pressure for the frequency with which female characters are sexually assaulted. Some argue that this portrayal helps illustrate the war-torn climate of the show, but GOT rape scenes are isolated acts in that the repercussions or broader meaning of the act are rarely, if ever, explored. Others argue that because the show also has strong female characters it should be absolved — but should we forget about the violent acts committed against these women just because they’re there at all? Furthermore, the notion that women are degraded in this society is arguably already clear, especially by the fifth season, yet the violence continues.
Television is an amazing tool to transport an audience to another world, another life. But because the media has the ability to teach individuals about pressing issues such as assault, accurate representations are crucial. Considering that many people watch more than four hours of television a day, it is important that we are aware of what we are watching and to question whether the acts portrayed — especially those of violence — push back on damaging standards or normalize them and allow viewers to grow detached from the crime and its ramifications.
