“Harvey Weinstein, monster”: antiblackness and the myth of the monstrous rapist

Abstract

Rape myths are prominent social narratives that circulate harmful stereotypes that normalize and even sanction sexual violence. In this essay, we argue that the myth of the monstrous rapist in US rape culture rhetorically functions as an antiblack symbolic structure that circulates across historical and contemporary discourses. We outline the rhetorical norms of the myth through an analysis of discourses surrounding convicted serial sexual predator and Hollywood mega-producer Harvey Weinstein. Symbolic renderings of Weinstein’s monstrosity discursively darken him and mark him as a monstrous anomaly in relation to normative whiteness and masculinity. Content warning: This article contains references to, and descriptions of, racial and sexual violence.

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