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It can be difficult to think about and comprehend that in the time it will take for me to finish writing this blog & for you to read it, almost 10 Americans will have been sexually assaulted.
This powerful Netflix documentary shines a light on two specific stories of young women who were sexually assaulted. It explores sexual assault, rape, trauma, cyber-bullying & overall coming of age in our world of social media. Audrie & Daisy comes from acclaimed filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk (The Island President, The Rape of Europa) and made its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. This film is a real-life drama examines the ripple effects on families, friends and communities when two separate young women discover that sexual assault crimes against them have been caught on camera, passed around and posted online. Although I grew up with the internet, it wasn't the sensation that it is today. Yes, we had email and chat rooms, AIM away messages and Myspace - but those posts were somewhat limited. Now though, with the world of Twitter and Instagram, opinions and experiences are no longer limited to just our friends, but rather shared with the entirety of the internet. But that's just part of it. As difficult and complicated that social media has made our world, the main issue is still on battling sexual assault and standing up for those who are silenced. When a group of officials can dismiss sexual assault as "boys being boys" or a presidential candidate can claim that discussing sexual assault is "just locker room talk," you know we have a long way to go. So there's one question that comes to mind when faced with the reality of sexual assault, and a question that this documentary works to answer: "What can we do?" #1: Remember that it takes as much effort to help as it does to hurt. #2: If you hear a rape joke or someone demeaning a survivor, speak up & say that's not okay, anywhere. #3: Teach boys about toxic masculinity, consent, & how to intervene as a bystander. Let them know they can talk to you. #4: Educate yourself #StoptheShame -- Erin Carr
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ReVamp Recommends is a special blog feature highlighting theater productions, artists, movies, TV shows, books, events, etc. that are relevant to ReVamp Collective's mission, and that we want to share with our fellow artists and audience.
In this edition of ReVamp Recommends, we would like to direct your attention to an essay written by Samantha Kristina Clarke, a theater artist and educator, from her website, skcwriter.com. In the essay, entitled "The Boys' Club," Clarke draws on past and present personal experiences to illustrate how disgusting, toxic rhetoric about gender roles and expectations spouted by individuals like a certain Republican presidential nominee perpetuate dangerous and negative behaviors, and affect how young minds perceive gender roles and stereotypes. It's an eloquently written piece by an articulate woman that reveals that, no matter how far we've come in breaking down gender roles and gaining equality among the sexes, we still have a long way to go. -Kristen M. Scatton |
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