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Wind River Reservation

Class Representations of Sexual Violence

Represented in movies and TV shows including:

1. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit
2. Wind River
3. 13 Reasons Why

We learned about Big Little Lies. In the show, two women of different social classes are sexually assaulted. Celeste, who is rich and seems to have it all, being married to a younger man, and Jane, a single mother new to the area. The shows follows the sexual assaults of both victims and how they are treated.

Media representations can have an affect on public perception.

• One in five women and one in thirty-eight men report being sexually assaulted
• Media has a large role in our culture and view of what is socially acceptable, this is important to recognize when portraying acts of sexual violence.
• Media literacy is the awareness that media has messages attached to them.

Series' Title Card

Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (1999- )

• A spin-off of the original show Law and Order (1990-2010, 2021- )
• Covers a unit of the New York City Police Department that investigates cases of sexual assault and domestic violence
• Is the longest-running primetime live-action series of all time
• Has depicted sexual violence in almost every conceivable manner in its 24 seasons
• An example is the recent season 22 episode 16 titled "Wolves in Sheep's Clothing"
• The episode revolves around a homeless mother named Rosa who is trafficked for sex
• In this scenario, Rosa has no choice but to comply under the threat of eviction
• Being a homeless mother, she has a low social standing and is exploited by people more fortunate than her
• 51% of people who are sex trafficked are adult women
• The U.S. Department of State estimates that around 27 million people are trafficked across the world every day

Wind River (2017)

• Wind River is a film that takes place on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming.
• Wildlife Officer, Cory Lambert, discovers the body of a young native woman out in the snow, wearing no shoes and showing signs of battery.
• Lambert brings this to the attention of reservation police, who identify the woman as Natalie Hanson, and her cause of death was running in the cold until her lungs burst. The police also identify her as suffering sexual assault by an unknown number of people, but do not classify the death as a homicide.
• The reservation, although the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined, only has a police team of 6 officers.
• It is discovered that Natalie has a non-native boyfriend, who works at an oil-drilling camp. When police try to contact him, they realize he has been missing for a few days, and discover his body in the wilderness.
• In the end, it is found out that Natalie was sexually assaulted by Pete, another worker of the oil-drilling camp, who then alongside other coworkers beat and killed Matt for fighting back.
• The movie ends with a harrowing quote, "While missing person statistics are compiled for every other demographic, none exist for Native American women.”
• Wind River represents a side of sexual violence within the issue of class and race that is often not discussed, and brought attention to an issue not many know about.
• 84% of Indigenous women experience violence, and 56% experience sexual violence
• Only 37 percent of Native American sexual assaults that are reported to police are prosecuted in the U.S.
• Media like Wind River is hard to watch, but it shares a story that Native women know all too well, and shows how class and race can affect these cases.

13 Reasons Why (2017-2020)

• The show follows the story of Hannah Baker, high school freshman, and the thirteen tapes she leaves behind as to why she commits suicide.
• Bryce Walker is the show's main antagonist.
• In episode 12, Hannah Baker reveals on her tapes Bryce Walker raped her. This completely breaks Hannah, ultimately being the main reason for her suicide.
• Bryce Walker comes from a very wealthy family. He is also a popular senior and captain of the football team.
• Although Hannah Baker's socioeconomic status is not explicitly stated in the show, it is known her family is struggling financially, and she works at the movie theater to help support herself and her parents.
• This is important to class because since Bryce Walker is popular and wealthy, Hannah's guidance counselor minimizes the assault.
• Hannah ends up committing suicide, and later, Bryce is sentenced to only three months probation for the assault.

Consuming Media containing Sexual Violence

• Shows may benefit from having warnings before telling these stories.
• Stories should be told honestly, without dramatization and bias to avoid upsetting victims.
• Stories shouldn’t romanticize or glamorize unhealthy relationships.
• Everyone deserves to have their story told.

Reference section

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