rape

(Un)Spoken Truths: Cousins Grace and Roslyn Talusan on the Healing Power of Storytelling

abstract illustration of a person kneeling with their head in their hands, figures on the sides of the body, while another figure, lined with dots, is leans over them. decorative elements such as snakes and florals line the edges.
by Roslyn Talusan
December 2, 2019 at 1:26pm
Everything in our culture would like us to repress trauma, and shame is at the core of this.
Luke and Laura, a white couple on General Hospital, pose for the camera during their wedding

On Soap Operas, Rape Is Still Treated as a Crime of Lust and Passion

by Amanda Hiber
November 4, 2019 at 8:23am
Soap writers are far from blameless when it comes to perpetuating rape myths. Read more »
Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry, surrounded by bandmates

Me Who?: Debbie Harry’s “Face It” and the Challenge of Addressing Outmoded Rape Narratives

by Noa Azulai
October 16, 2019 at 12:14pm
The urge to superimpose the cultural context of today on the difficult truths of the past risks erasing them. Read more »
Chanel Miller, a mixed-race woman, stands in front of a black and white wall background

Victims Owe Us Nothing: Chanel Miller Reclaims Her Story and Identity in “Know My Name”

by Caroline Reilly
October 9, 2019 at 1:04pm
Chanel Miller’s weaving of her day-to-day life with the lingering trauma of her assault illustrates the singular way sexual-assault victims are asked to move through the world. Read more »
a photo of author Jeannie Vanasco, a white woman with brown hair smiling at the camera

Jeannie Vanasco on Processing Rape by Writing About It

by Melissa Faliveno
October 9, 2019 at 11:03am
“The thing I felt most afraid of was publishing this and having feminists read it and be disappointed in me.” Read more »
Mariska Hargitay, a middle-aged white woman with short, brown hair, sits in front of a hospital bed speaking to a victim on Law & Order: SVU

Beyond Tabloid Crime: The Slow, Methodical Evolution of Sexual Assault on “Law & Order: SVU”

by Katherine Tallman
September 23, 2019 at 12:01pm
Though SVU has largely steered clear of the gore and intense luridness of other prime-time procedurals, it has still played into the idea that violence against women isn’t about the woman’s experience but rather about the remains of her body. Read more »
Veronica Mars, a white woman, sits at her desk at work. She wears a flannel and has blond hair parted down the middle.

Drama, Not Trauma: Rape Culture, “Veronica Mars,” and the Spectacle of Sexual Violence

by Roslyn Talusan
August 23, 2019 at 11:17am
From the very beginning, sexual assault is simply fodder for drama in the world of Neptune, California. Read more »
Aisling Franciosi, a white teenager with short, brown hair who's covered in blood and standing next to a brown horse, plays Clare in The Nightingale

In “The Nightingale,” Rape is a Tool of Colonialism

by Jourdain Searles
August 20, 2019 at 1:25pm
The horror depicted in The Nightingale is that of colonial violence’s endlessness, a war for power designed to go on forever. Read more »
Mandy from HBO's share is at the police station with her parents. She is wearing a sweatshirt and she looks upset.

Pure Love and Trust: HBO’s “Share” Shows Groundbreaking Post-Assault Parental Behavior

by Sezin Koehler
August 7, 2019 at 10:38am
Share sets a groundbreaking new model for a fresh paradigm of post-assault parental behavior. Read more »
a transmasculine gender-nonconforming person and transfeminine nonbinary person embracing and being intimate

Popaganda: Let’s Talk about (Talking About) Sex

by Carmen Rios
August 1, 2019 at 11:50am
In the midst of the #MeToo movement, it’s clear that we’ve all still got a lot of work left to do to change the conversations we’re having around desire and sexuality. Read more »
A skewed perspective on a courthouse, blue sky

Value Judgments: A Focus on “Good” Perpetrators is Bad for Victims

by Caroline Reilly
July 10, 2019 at 5:00pm
We need a reckoning in the courts—and beyond. Read more »

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