Sexual violence in serial form:Breaking Badhabits on TV

“This Is What a Feminist Looks Like”: Dead Girls and Murderous Boys on Season 1 of Netflix’s You

“…Given You ’s current popularity with viewers, it is worth exploring further what pleasures heteronormative female viewers might be getting out of these types of shows. As Mittell points out, it is important to acknowledge how people make meaning “even if they seem to be ‘wrong’ by standards of textual design, authorial intent, moral judgement, or even basic human decency” (cited in Joy 2019, 120). It is also important for feminist scholars, in particular, not to impose a “fixed notion of feminism” on particular texts (Berridge 2013, 479), that denies the existence of different feminisms.…”

“…On You , although Beck does deliver a few voice-over monologues across season 1, our limited access to her words, thoughts, and emotions privileges Joe’s version of events over hers, relegating Beck to the less important, supporting role of “unlikeable woman.” However, Beck’s unlikability functions differently from, for instance, Skyler White in Breaking Bad (2008–2013) who, as Stuart Joy compellingly argues (2019), remains peripheral, and sometimes even a hindrance to the character and plot development of antihero Walter White (except, notably, for when her sexual victimization is necessary to such developments). Instead, on You , Joe’s entire motivation is his pursuit of Beck.…”

“…You’s explicit re-centering of masculine narrative authority is a prime example of what Joy (2019, 118) describes as shows that “operate within and contribute to a problematic cultural setting that frequently marginalizes narratives of abuse at the expense of an overwhelming emphasis on the complexities of hegemonic masculinity.” At the same time, there is, contradictorily, a glaring absence of any redemptive masculinity on You , which creates one long gaslighting experience for heteronormative female viewers. To this end, the text traffics in what we would characterize as apocalyptic masculinities.…”

“…In this article, we argue that the taking up of feminist discourses and practices by a violent misogynist on season 1 of You constitutes a significant departure from mainstream televisual engagements with gendered violence. Although many current shows offer a contradictory blend of feminist, postfeminist, and misogynist messages (Coulthard et al 2018; also see Joy 2019), You distinguishes itself in ways that are worth scrutinizing in the current context of American politics, where attacks on reality, truth, or facts by those in power have become normalized. For example, in 2017, after a violent clash between white supremacists and antiracist protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. President Donald Trump publicly declared that “there were very fine people on both sides,” thus creating an equivalency between racism and antiracism.…”

Sexual Health on Television

“…Depictions of force in sexual interaction are common in television shows and can influence how society normalizes sexual violence and treats victims of sexual assault or battery (Gökulu, 2013). For example, Joy (2019) found that the highly rated show Breaking Bad depicted frequent implicit and explicit instances of the main character, Walter White, isolating, degrading, exploiting, frightening, and controlling his wife through domestic abuse and sexual violence; the author argued that the show reinforced a culture of misogyny and victim-blaming. In contrast, critics of Game of Thrones, another widely popular television series, have argued that including rape scenes was necessary to educate viewers about the realities of rape in a historical context (Thompson, 2017).…”