TW for rape
When I first heard about the CW show Reign, I knew that it was going to be my next guilty pleasure. A young Mary Stuart and her ladies-in-waiting living with Catherine de’Medici in Renaissance France? Yes please. Court intrigue and awkward teenage romance? Yes please. Weird pagans in the woods and flower crowns and a murderous queen and a (very anachronistically hot and young) Nostradamus? DOUBLE YES PLEASE. PASS THE FLOWER CROWNS, SON, I’M IN.
I talked my friend into watching it with me, and by the end of the first episode we were both hooked. We would make a ritual out of it – order a pizza, get a bottle of wine, and then sit down to make fun of plot holes and not-very-historically-accurate clothing and overblown teenage FEELINGS for an hour. But as much as we giggled over the poor life choices of the characters, and as often as I yelled “NOBODY WORE TUTUS IN THE 16TH CENTURY,” we developed a real fondness for the show.
And why not? There’s honestly a lot to like. Reign is all about the various ways that women wield power, both in gross and subtle ways. It’s about the relationships between women, and the electrical charges of jealousy and sneaky competitiveness that often sour them. It’s about female sexuality – in fact, the pilot featured a pretty hot-n-heavy female masturbation scene. To top it all off, every single episode of the series so far passes the Bechdel test, meaning that there is always at least one scene involving two women who talk to each other about something other than a man – which I know doesn’t sound like very discriminating criteria, but you would be surprised how many pieces of media fail to meet even this grimly minimal standard. But not Reign! Reign has, for all of its quirks, been generally pretty pro kick-ass women, a fact which I’ve really appreciated.
Plus I’m also here for the elaborate hair styles an the dark, secret poisons and the dudes in tight leggings. But I digress.
This week, a spoiler for an upcoming episode of Reign was leaked. This spoiler revealed that in an upcoming episode of the show, Mary will be violently raped. This rape, by the way, will not be a portrayal of a historical fact. Instead, it will be used as a plot device, a ratings grab and a cheap facsimile for character development.
Rape as a plot device is a lazy way to show a strong woman’s “vulnerability,” all the while demeaning and exploiting the experiences of real-life rape survivors. Rape as a plot device is also often used to take female characters down a peg, to put them in their place, to force them to rely on men for protection. Rape as character development is most often used as what Chris Osterndorf refers to as “an explain-all for complicated female characters” – in fact, we’ve already seen Reign pull that old trope with Queen Catherine, when it tossed in a quick rape story to justify her actions and make her more sympathetic to viewers.
None of these are good reasons to include a rape scene in a film or book or television show; I am disgusted that the writers and producers of Reign would use sexual assault to somehow drive the arc of the show forward or reshape Mary’s character. There is absolutely no reason to show Mary being violently raped, and doing so will only have harmful results.
People who defend this scene will say that it’s accurate, perhaps not in a way that’s specific to Mary Stuart, but in a broader, historical context. They’ll argue that Reign is fairly portraying how prevalent violence against women was in 16th century Europe. They’ll smugly explain that these types of scenes create awareness about rape.
First of all, let me assure you that everyone is aware of rape. Women, especially, are painfully aware of the threat of sexual assault. We live with that threat every damn day, and we don’t need a television show to educate us on how frightening and dangerous life as a girl can be.
Second of all, these scenes nearly always sensationalize rape, using the act of sexual assault to shock or create intrigue in audiences. They are not thoughtful portrayals of a difficult and incredibly sensitive subject; they play into the pervasive media narrative that centres violence itself instead of the experiences of women. These scenes also desensitize audiences to the issue of violence against women, especially when a rape is used to drive the plot forward – when rape is just a mechanism to make a character behave a certain way or do a certain thing, the very real emotional fallout that rape survivors experience is often only briefly touched on, and certainly almost never given the gravity and attention it deserves.
Rape is not a plot device. It is not character development. It is not a great way for television shows to get higher ratings. Rape is something that one in four women will experience in their lifetime. It is not something that should ever be used for shock or entertainment value.
Please, writers and producers of Reign, re-write this scene. You are better than this. You show is better than this. You’ve got something really wonderful and unique going on – please don’t foul it up now. And to everyone else reading, please go sign this petition. Even if you don’t watch the show. Do it for the women you know who are rape survivors. Do it for all the teenage girls watching the show who don’t need to see one of their heroines subjected to sexual assault just to close up some screenwriter’s plot hole. Or just do it because it’ll take five seconds and it’s the right thing to do.
Flower Crowns R Us
The Belle Jar 
Very well said.
I haven’t watched the show, but it sounds like it would be right up my alley – so disappointing when sexual violence is used as a plot device for entertainment/dramatic purposes like this. Petition signed – thanks for bringing it to my (and other’s) attention.
Your article was great. Your point about rape was even better, and one I share wholeheartedly. The petition has been signed and commented on. I remember the days when the movie “Strawdogs” was banned in Canada because of the rape scene with Susan George. They said it wasn’t so much the rape scene per se, but the fact that she starts off screaming, but by the end of the rapes (she’s raped twice in the scene) she’s acting like she’s enjoying it. They said they banned it because her actions gave men the wrong idea that women actually enjoyed being raped. Whatever their reasons were, the movie was banned here until just recently when it was allowed back into the country, and now you’re telling me they’re going to show a similar scene on TV, where even young children could be exposed to it. You’ve done us all a big service by bringing this issue to the attention of at least some people who might not have been aware of it. Thank-you.
That is a really good point that if it is on television, young children could be exposed to it. It is inexcusable.
In Straw Dogs wasn’t she back in her home town and the guy her old boyfriend who she must have had sex with many times before? Her new husband was very weak until the end when he began acting like a man. It was not rape and simply a case of the female being turned on by the more dominant man. So it began as rape and then she changed her mind when she began enjoying it? How is that any different than consensual sex where she decides she doesn’t like it anymore (like in 10 sec. rape) and now it’s called rape (absurd)?
To me, real rape is more violent and coercive (or the female is unconscious) and is almost always a complete stranger and by trivialising what amounts to some misunderstanding or regret and calling it rape is going to put real rape in the public mind equal to something that likely isn’t even rape.
If she says no and the man ignores her it’s rape, she is allowed to change her mind. Remorse or guilt after isn’t rape, but having sex with an UNWILLING partner is.
I knew the man who assaulted me, I even liked him at one point, I wasn’t ready to just jump into bed with him, i wanted to get to know him and he thought he was God’s gift and that I would just be okay with him taking away my right to consent, that he didn’t need it.
Rape isn’t black and white, until you have experienced the fear and dread and inner pain that is caused when i man takes something from you he has NO RIGHT to take you really have an uneducated opinion. It’s an insult to every woman who has suffered through some egotistical pig forcing himself onher as she cries and begs.
Now as for the show in question I have never seen it, but i wanted to address your statements.
Wow, thanks for the education, Knicknaque. I am really impressed by your logic:
1. She must have had sex with that guy before. Ergo, if a woman says yes to sex once, that dude has total sexual access for the rest of her life.
2. Her new husband was weak. Ergo, any woman with a weak husband cannot technically be raped.
3. The new guy was dominant. Dominance is a turn on. Therefore, women cannot be raped by dominant men.
4. If a dude keeps going when a woman wants to stop previously consensual sex, that’s totally not rape. It’s just like a date. If a guy goes out on date, he is always obligated to stay on that date for as long as the woman wants to keep going. She can keep him there for years if she hasn’t yet finished. That’s just logic.
Ugh. Nevermind. Please, bellejar, just delete this bastard’s rape apology, k?
If you watched the movie, or better yet, read the book, (the movie is basically just one chapter of the book “Seige on Trencher’s Farm”, the chapter being called The Siege), you would not be making the mistake of calling the highlight scene of the movie, which is a rape and nothing less, consensual. If you have some misinformed idea that any sex after a woman has said no is alright as long as it doesn’t meet your preconceived notion of just what constitutes “too much violence” please do both all the women and the men in this world a big favor, and find yourself a mountain and become a hermit.
Expletive Deleted…
I hope you grow up into a better human than you are now.
Reblogged this on sexist.exists and commented:
Sensationalization of rape should never be viewed as a valid representation, especially in mainstream media or television. Adding to the culture of victim shaming and blaming, sensationalizationof rape trivialises the real experiences of rape and sexual harassment faced on a daily basis, by men and women alike, and not something that should be used to make someone seem more “interesting” or “troubled”
Signed and shared on https://www.facebook.com/AmazingWomenRock
sickening. I signed the petition.
I think producers of TV shows would do a lot to raise the numbers of people watching them. What about some of the scenes in Sopranos?
I’m with you on this one. And to those who think this is an ‘accurate portrayal of how women’s lives were back then’ – we know. There’s no need for us to relive the horror just so the makers of this show can enjoy increased TRPs.
I am a Tudorphile/ ELizabeth I historian who was mega turned off by Reign. Couldn’t sit through to the first commercial watching the pilot even. Maybe its the revisionistic history, it might have been the “kids playing castle” feel. It was a violent era, but not as “sexy” as the writers portray it. The violent “coupling of male “masters” and female ” property” was fairly SOP, but it just wasn’t love, plain and simple
Reign is a fantasy show, though. It has a backdrop based on real people, but it’s never made any claims to historical accuracy. I mean, there have been multiple plot lines involving ghosts and pagan human sacrifice. It’s been a year since this show debuted and I wish people would let this type of criticism rest. It’s a fantasy, and all the more reason to not go done the “historically accurate rape!” route (to bring things back on topic.)
Very well said!….and very true, more so as this show caters to our younger population, what are we showing our youth?!
Glad I came across your post. Petition signed. Well said.
That’s like using a lynching or whipping as a plot device. It’s the sign of a bad writer.
I don’t understand how we can judge something that hasn’t even been seen yet. And judge it by an errant comment form a C-list TV blog. As a woman, I have experienced violence at the hands of men when I was a young girl. And afterwards, watching all the pretty faces on Dawson’s Creek & Everwood, I felt that I was no longer one of them. So if Mary can be a positive example for girls who have been victimized, girls like me, then I say this moment has been overdue. As long as Reign treats the moment with the weight is deserves, then I will applaud them.
Well, I think these points are well made, but still: it is worth pointing out that Mary Queen of Scots was likely raped in Scotland. The writer of the article seems unaware of what most historians consider to be a fact. It’s true that it’s out of the timeline, and happened much later in her life– but this type of show jumbles all those details about everything.
It’s also true that this is a danger that a young Queen had to deeply worry about. It was a constant threat. Raping the Queen – or any woman, for that matter — is an act of power and degradation, not love. I don’t expect that the Reign writers are going to glamorize this, or make it romantic… I don’t think it will be like Straw Dogs where she suddenly enjoys it. it will probably be shown as the horrific power grab that it is. Rape happens a lot now (1 in 4 of the female viewers of this show), in history, and in the lives of a lot of Queens (including, some historians believe, Elizabeth Tudor) — do we really want it to never be dealt with? I don’t necessarily think that showing rape or writing about it — assuming it is written about correctly — is a bad thing.
I did know that she was likely raped by Lord Bothwell shortly before she married him, but that happened years later, long after Mary had returned to Scotland. It seems weird to be like “well, she probably WAS raped later in her life so why not just have a totally different rape happen in the show because we all know that she’ll be raped at SOME point.”
That 1 in 4 figure is a complete fantasy and was just made up by feminists without any real proof. Real rape is more like 1 in 40K. You’ll notice that they are not even using the word rape anymore and now it’s “sexual assault”. This can mean just about anything that you want it to mean. Legally, assault can involve no physical contact (that’s battery if it’s serious enough) and can mean something that is simply verbal. Even this sort of verbal assault would have to be pretty violent and believable to be considered assault. In cases where someone just continually annoys you it would be harassment or disorderly conduct not “sexual assault” so apparently all of these trivial minor annoyances in life are now being lumped in with real sexual assault.
You are up past your bed time. But you write quite well for a child… let’s hope you get past this awkward phase you are going though without anyone working out your real identity, because your current opinions ARE going to haunt you.
i feel strongly in agreement with everything said here.
One of the commenters on my FB page mentioned this series as a comparable FYI: https://www.facebook.com/OutlanderTVSeries.starz
I have read all of the Outlander books, and I was outraged that the author uses rape as a plot devise on most of the main characters, I read a lot of historical fiction and I’m dismayed over how many characters are raped. It is unnecessary, as this blogger points out. I think about women who are survivors of sexual assault and how they are blindsided by rape scenes in books and movies. There should a notice put on books that have rape scenes so that we can avoid them. Since this experience I am hesitant to read one of my favorite genre’s because I am afraid of being blindsided by a rape scene. I kept thinking after each rape of a main character that the rapes would be over and I could get back into the series, I should have stopped at the first one.
So, you look for a series on the cw as a guilty pleasure, yet it passes the bechdel test and is pretty pro kick ass women, but you expect it to be historically accurate? Yes I’m sure women are painfully aware of the threat of sexual assault, so according to your logic since everyone is aware of it writers shouldn’t address rape in television shows? And you’re basing this on a spoiler, not the actual episode. Ok now the show is wonderful and unique and not a guilty pleasure. Honestly do you read your posts before you publish them?
Did you read her post before publishing your comment? She said addressing rape is one thing but using it simply to boost ratings or for shock factor is not okay. There’s a difference between productively addressing an issue and sensationalizing it.
Well one of us read it. Did you miss the part where her conclusion was based on a teaser and also in a show she labels as a guilty pleasure. I love the movie road house but I don’t think every bouncer in the world has a degree in philosophy.
@”Well one of us read it. Did you miss the part where her conclusion was based on a teaser and also in a show she labels as a guilty pleasure. I love the movie road house but I don’t think every bouncer in the world has a degree in philosophy”
Uhhhh… that wasn’t what I was talking about. I was talking about you saying this “so according to your logic since everyone is aware of it writers shouldn’t address rape in television shows?” when this was in the original post “They are not thoughtful portrayals of a difficult and incredibly sensitive subject; they play into the pervasive media narrative that centres violence itself instead of the experiences of women”
I guess now we know which one of us actually read the post. Good try though. Peace out.
Pseudo spolier alert for Downton …
Same thing happened last season on Downton Abbey, the rape was used to create drama and gossip, it was sooo wrong and disappointing…
Very interesting post!
I don’t watch Reign, but I saw this in Scandal last season and after some thought on the scene realized it was unnecessary and gratuitous as a scene. I plan to write about this subject as well when I get the chance, and I’d like to thank you for helping me form my thoughts on this subject.
Rape should not be used to create drama! So wrong. Thanks for posting this. I hope people sign the petition! Bravo to you for posting this!
As for the show I can not say anything since I have not watched it. But if the tone is a totally different one then lets say Game of Thrones than I would question the use of Rape for sure.
For the rest I am sorry but I do not agree with that. Nothing ever should be a taboo in Media which means books, TV, movie, music, etc. Rape is a horrible thing to happen to people but that does not mean no one should ever talk or use it in their artistic work.
Rape as shock value is certainly a lazy way to get attention and we should not welcome it but it als has every right as murder, as domestic violence as bullying etc. to be used in an author or artists work
Reblogged this on Spreading Awareness.
Reblogged this on Shows with Rape Scenes.
Thank you for this article. I’ve signed the petition.
Thank you for this post. Rape should never be used in entertainment. I will be signing the petition.
AGREED! I love this show, but that will really ruin the show!
Thank you for enlightening people on a very important topic that need more attention in the media today.
lol giggle.
Reblogged this on Agapesophra.
I have signed the petition. I will be sharing this.
nice thoughts..keep going…
Thank you.
“Rape is not a plot device. It is not character development. It is not a great way for television shows to get higher ratings. Rape is something that one in four women will experience in their lifetime.”
It’s sad to say that Downton Abbey took this route. It ruined the storyline for Anna and Mr. Bates. Even the fifth season couldn’t save their relationship.
Reblogged this on tatejackson17.
As a certified advocate for victims off sexual assault I have to say I agree, this is completely unnecessary and we need to stop letting the media take the truth about rape and using it as a ratings or attention grabber. I’m sure there’s other ways. What’s so wrong with just being a kick ass female who also happens to be perfectly independent and unafraid? I will sign your position. Thanks for sharing.
Rape is a crime – we agree on that. In this series (which I never heard of until today) it is being used as a plot tool – there seems to be a broad agreement on that, too. It is being used to boost ratings (to attract more viewers to the series) – that, too, is the prevalent view.
So far, so good – right? The conclusions diverge though. Many of the commenters follow the author in disapproving the use of rape as a plot item, with some allowing it under condition that it is being used in an educative sense. I disagree, as I think that crimes of all sorts are the center of a myriad of art forms (yes, a TV series is also art), and banning a crime from being portrayed is a way too radical breach of the freedom of speech and artistic expression.
Using a crime to produce a dramatic effect is as ancient as the concept of a plot – the Old Testament is full of it, including rape. Its a slippery slope – you may personally dislike the use of one or another crime as a plot item, we can discuss the level of performance and implications for the work of art, but stating that a particular crime should not be used for enterntaiment may eventually lead to exclusion of ALL crimes from being narrated, because someone may not like it.
Mm. You -seem?- to be creating a false dichotomy, plot vs. education. The trouble is that in this case it is is a cheap plot device- a substitute for the character and narrative development that make a drama entertaining. The trouble is not they are putting a rape in the show, but that they are not dealing with the subject in a way that would qualify their work as either art OR education.
Also, referring to the Old Testament as an example of dramatic effect is… interesting. The Old Testament is as widely known in our culture as it is because it has been presented as an authoritative religious text. In many ways it has shaped our culture. If we had been created by a text that didn’t use rape for cheap drama, one wonders if there would be fewer cases of real life rape in our society.
Finally, great art has been made that both depicts (implied) rape to great dramatic effect AND manages to be terribly thought provoking (“educational”). The Spanish painter Goya once painted a woman about to be raped by bandits. It was a plot device as painting went, commonly used his time. As the scene was normally shown- the eyes of the woman would be fixed on the real world viewer, as if the viewer were a rescuer whom she was asking for help. The viewer got a morally heroic role in the drama AND got to enjoy the rape.
Goya painted the scene with the woman’s eyes specifically averted from the viewer. To her, the viewer was a rapist as well.
Drama, thought and respect are not mutually exclusive.
The trouble is that people appropriate the right to decide what can and what can not be called art. The way a piece deals with a crime is not a way to determine whether it is art or no. There is no such way – simply because there is no objective way to define what is art and what is not. In The Netherlands where I live, a recent ruling of the highest court decided that peep shows are a form of art – because its a theather play just like McBeth or Hamlet are (and therefore peep shows should enjoy tax benefits, since we want to promote art).
There are comments here such as “Rape should not be used to create drama!” But if we start excluding crimes from being used as a plot device, where will we end? That has a name – cencorship. I think that a society that resorts to cencorship of art is just avoiding facing its fears and dealing with its problems. I’ve lived in such a society and do not want to go back there.
By the way, the Old Testament episodes I recall that included rape did not in any way use it as “cheap drama”, but as a violent, troubling, unjustified act with far-reaching consequences and levels of depth beyound the plain act itself. But that is besides the point – the point I was making is that if we listen to the “Nay to Rape in Art” voices, we will exclude the Old Testament from our culture as well, and will not regard it as art. I believe that really goes too far.
Drama, thought and respect are not mutually exclusive – I agree. But a work does not have to include all 3, to be called art.
Michael- I guess my two word answer to that is ‘Thomas Kincaid’.
Hlo
Mm. You -seem?- to be creating a false dichotomy, plot vs. education. The trouble is that in this case it is is a cheap plot device- a substitute for the character and narrative development that make a drama entertaining. The trouble is not they are putting a rape in the show, but that they are not dealing with the subject in a way that would qualify their work as either art OR education.
Also, referring to the Old Testament as an example of dramatic effect is… interesting. The Old Testament is as widely known in our culture as it is because it has been presented as an authoritative religious text. In many ways it has shaped our culture. If we had been created by a text that didn’t use rape for cheap drama, one wonders if there would be fewer cases of real life rape in our society.
Finally, great art has been made that both depicts (implied) rape to great dramatic effect AND manages to be terribly thought provoking (“educational”). The Spanish painter Goya once painted a woman about to be raped by bandits. It was a plot device as painting went, commonly used his time. As the scene was normally shown- the eyes of the woman would be fixed on the real world viewer, as if the viewer were a rescuer whom she was asking for help. The viewer got a morally heroic role in the drama AND got to enjoy the rape.
Goya painted the scene with the woman’s eyes specifically averted from the viewer. To her, the viewer was a rapist as well.
Drama, thought and respect are not mutually exclusive.
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Well said!!!!
Reblogged this on If You Only Knew and commented:
Rape is a horrible reality for a lot of people, including myself, and is never okay to exploit for plot. I’m reblogging this to help spread the word. I signed the petition, and I hope my followers, as few as they are, also sign it and spread the word. This isn’t right.
I am very disturbed by this as well. A friend of mine works on the show so I’d be curious to know what she thinks about the rape episode. But I agree with you 100%, rape should not be a plot device but if I was being honest, I’m not that surprised the writers of this show are exploiting it for ratings. CW shows are notorious for jumping on hot topics to stay relevant with their young viewers – they constantly hire “youth consultants” who advise them on young ppl trends. It’s as if they did a scan of the internet and found that discussions about women and rape culture were current hot topics, and decided to write about it. Its pretty gross given it has no historical relevance to the real Queen Mary’s life.
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What a great piece reblogged on trollfartsaresmelly.
I don’t watch that show and if I was a frequent viewer of it, I’d boycott it from now on. Sexual assault should not be a plot device… Very good blog post!