Just Because Hollywood does it, it Doesn’t Mean YOU Should do it too
We collectively shake our heads with the pathetic portrayal of sex and relationships in today’s film industry in the midst of the #Metoo movement
Every 90 seconds, and American is sexually assaulted. 1 in 6 women and 1 out of every 10 men are involved in sexual violence in their lifetime. And yet, society likes to gloss over these statistics with crude romantic comedies and teen coming of age movies where sexual assault and rape is just plain ol horseplay or just boys being boys. You may be wondering; how can Hollywood get away with these portrayals in midst of the ever growing #MeToo movement. The #MeToo movement is a shift in culture against rape and sexual assault where victims of this post online with the hashtag along with their story. How does and to what extent do Hollywood films perpetuate rape and sexual assault culture in the context of #MeToo? I believe that Hollywood films need to be more aware of the #MeToo movement and the effects that films can have on people’s perspectives and views towards men and women because films create a basis for many people’s values.
Movies and tv shows are seen by many as an ideal life or how a relationship should look like so having rape and sexual assault scenes being portrayed as the norm is wrong. In the Vox article, “How Men are Adjusting to the #MeToo era: This is Going to Take a Really Long Time” by Robert L. Reece, he found by hearing so many stories from a friend of his that
“His ‘creepy’ pursuit of a woman friend in college…He told me that he similarly refused to take no for an answer even though she had expressed little interest in a romantic relationship with him. Influenced by “virtually every movie ever,” he told me, he felt it was his job to win her over” (Reece, 2018).
The author discusses consent from the point of view of a man. He explains how many men face guilt when it comes down to sexual consent on whether or not they ‘read the signs’
properly before any past encounters. He states that when many men pursue a partner, they take the advice that too many romantic comedies give out; you must do whatever you can to win them over. Because of this, he finds that men have turned this into a normality which comes off as pushy or creepy, that this is how men are taught to pursue a partner which leads to confusion around consent. Reece concludes by saying that there is much more that needs to be learned on behalf of men when it comes to consent and that it’s going to take some time to reverse what has been done; he states that some believe that it is impossible to reverse these notions that have been shoved down men’s throats, so to speak. Another example is the teen coming of age movie Superbad by Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg. This movie could simply be described as teen boy characters plotting on buying alcohol to feed to girls that they like to hopefully get them drunk enough for the boys to sleep with them. Within this movies characters can be found saying things like:
“You know when a girl’s like ‘Oh God, I got so shitfaced last night. I shouldn’t have fucked that guy!’ We can be that mistake!” (Superbad, 2007).
“Becca’s been looking for you. She said something about blowing you. Isn’t she drunk? Isn’t that illegal if she’s drunk? Not if you’re drunk too” (Superbad, 2007).
Nina Metz, a movie critic for The Star, states:
“If the way teen sex comedies gloss over assault has helped create a collective head space where the idea of force or trickery looks like something else: Horseplay. Immaturity. Obnoxious? Yes. But nothing really all that bad” (Metz, 2018).
Although Superbad is considered 2007’s ‘most successful comedy’, it is famous for all the wrong reasons. It glorifies rape culture and it glosses over that fact with forced comedy. These quotes are prime examples of how this movie tries to play off rape culture as just plain immaturity towards women. Characters rely on alcohol to get away with their plan to trick women into having sex; in fact, they’re ignorant towards the fact that it is illegal to have sex with someone who is inebriated. Preying on women who are drunk in order to become ‘that mistake’ is beyond what any Hollywood comedy can gloss over.
Another example of how Hollywood tends to have portrayals that go against what is morally right is from the web article “The Fragility of Safety Beyond the Promise of #MeToo” by Bitch Media in 2017.
“More and more, sexual violence is being written into TV female characters… but we still have a long way to go before audiences understand TV depictions of sexual abuse beyond entertainment value… We’ve known it was everywhere, but this is the first time we are collectively acknowledging it to this degree, that rape, harassment, and abuse are the NORMAL of our culture” (Borchers, 2017).
Within Hollywood, writers and producers are still writing in rape scenes to deepen character backgrounds or to create a more interesting story. Rape is being viewed as a normality and purely for entertainment. Although knowledge on the topic of rape and sexual assault is important, there are much better ways to spread this information in a healthier way than having it splashed all over media. Protection and awareness should be taught in schools along in sexual health classes. Students should be aware of the statistics and how even the tv shows and films they see are prime examples for how not to treat a person you care about or are intimate with. Shine a bright light on Hollywood stars and writers to stand up against what is being portrayed as a normality. Another example of the injustice in Hollywood is from a Netflix original from 2017 called Dude. Two characters, Mike and Lily are in a rowdy house party where they find themselves alone in a bedroom where Mike wants to have sex and the conversation goes as follows and is documented by Mike Douglas of Mike’s Open Journal:
“’[Lily] We’re not, we’re not having sex’’ [Mike]”Uh-huh. Yet” Mike moves back up having removed his trousers and underwear. Mike thrusts. [Lily] ‘Whoa, dude…Okay, that was really… that was really tricky, Mike stop. Mike, stop’ [Mike]”Hold on, I’m going to come. I’m going to come” [Lily] “Mike. Get off. Get off.” Lily sits on the side of the bed, teary eye and says, “Can I have my underwear please” (Dude, 2017).
To be clear, this is rape! In later scenes Lily plays it off as Mike just being ‘goal oriented’ which is clearly an excuse for his behavior and therefore laying the blame on herself. Lily is portrayed as sad for a couple days and then magically becomes herself again once someone beats up Mike. Little does Hollywood know, rape victims aren’t that easily ‘cured’; mental illness generally sets in after an attack such as she experienced. But Hollywood doesn’t show that. They don’t show the pain and guilt that a person feels when everything they see around them points towards it being their fault for it happening and showing no ways to deal with it afterwards.
The #MeToo movement is the first ray of hope that we have in order to help bring change to this sad, sad situation that Hollywood and the society itself has put itself into. Hollywood films perpetuate rape and sexual assault culture in the context of #MeToo? Because of these movies and articles, believe that Hollywood films need to be more aware of the #MeToo movement and the effects that films can have on people’s perspectives and views towards men and women because films create a basis for many people’s values.
