Why is this PSA for a good cause "effed", you might ask?
I'll allow Hoyden about town to answer:
"What I see here is one girl being held responsible for the behaviours of a whole bunch of people: her classmates, her arsehole of a love interest, her teacher. And by holding her responsible, we get to skip out on their responsibility for their own behaviours, and we get to skip out on how misogyny shapes these reactions. The shithead who forwarded her text on is just behaving as boys do, right? (And certainly the ‘look how bad she has it for me, she sexted me!’ only underlines the bizarre binding together of sexual conquest and hierarchies of masculinity). The arsehole who assesses her body and then approves, knowing that approval is shaming. The ridiculous letter advising her to ‘wear black tomorrow’, seeking to shame her further. The stares and shame of her classmates and teacher."
It's a classic "blame the victim" mentality. Might serve as warning to girls, but it hardly explains to the boys (and other girls) how sharing stuff they know they're not supposed to is morally reprehensible and can land them in jail.
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| Also, a cameraphone in the bathroom is never a good thing. |
Thanks to Slutwalk, for sharing.
These days, it's more important than ever to talk to kids about digital safety: I made sure my daughters always keep their fingers well out of the way when slicing a bagel.
ReplyDeleteHey, give me a break! It's a busy day at the office, and these ads won't eff themselves! :)
ReplyDelete