Posted:
Brace yourselves girls, because your'e about to be hit with a big glass of ice cold reality.
Let's get one thing straight. Yesterday, Annika was assaulted by Shivaay. I know, I know, it's a pretty big accusation. But let's look at the facts. Here's the US definition of assault: "An assault is carried out by a threat of bodily harm coupled with an apparent, present ability to cause the harm. It is both a crime and a tort, and, therefore, may result in either criminal or civil liability."
So when someone puts their hands on you or grabs you when you do not want them to, that is assault.
The presence of this is undeniable. Shivaay repeatedly put his hands on Annika, swung her around and threw her on a bed and on the floor. He was aggressive and threatening. He also implied that if she did not comply with his demands, he would remove her clothes and force her to do as he said. That would be viewed as sexual assault in the US.
So basically, yesterday we saw a male character physically assault a female character and, if that wasn't enough, he blatantly threatened to sexually assault her.
Along with seeing these actions take place, we saw it in the context of romantic music. It was not "scary" or "action-type" music, it was the romantic theme that we usually saw used for when the hero would rescue the heroine, or when both would stare at each other with genuine love and care. Playing a romantic track with such violence implies that this, too, is a romantic moment. So when people accuse the show of romanticizing/normalizing violence, this is what they're talking about.
As viewers of the show, we should remember that the normalization of violence is a real concern for women (and men, for that matter) and a painful issue for victims of domestic and sexual abuse, and it should be a genuine concern for all of us.
It's pretty obvious what my opinion is on the matter. Call me a feminist if you like, but please, if you do, explain to me exactly ( and I do mean in very clear terms) what is so wrong about being a feminist in the first place?
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