Representing rape culture on teen television

Abstract

Increasing cultural attention to sexual assault in the U.S. has raised questions about consent, leading some states to implement “yes means yes” laws. In order to provide insight into how mainstream discourse take into account feminist understandings of sexual violence and affirmative consent, this article considers representations of rape culture and affirmative consent in two recent teen television programs, 13 Reasons Why (2017-2020) and Sweet/Vicious (2016–2017). Both shows reference sexual assault in nearly every episode, constructing a world in which rape culture is rampant. In portraying rape as lack of consent, as opposed to outright refusal or resistance, the shows do the important work of emphasizing why affirmative consent is essential. While progressively suggesting that rape culture necessitates affirmative consent, 13 Reasons Why and Sweet/Vicious simultaneously contribute to rape culture by relying on the long-standing trope that, when it comes to girls and sexual assault, “no” may mean “yes.”

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