Gendered framing & victim-blaming in fictional sexual assault survivor portrayals

Abstract

ABSTRACT Evidence of victim-blaming has become a reoccurring feature in media portrayals of female sexual assault survivors, but considerably less attention has been devoted to victim-blaming in portrayals of male survivors. This study explores how framing of portrayals and potential presentations of rape myths in fictional television dramas differ based on gender of the survivor in the same fictional television program. Data was collected and analyzed using a content analysis of fictionalized sexual assault experiences in 41 episodes of 13 Reasons Why and 20 episodes of Law & Order: SVU, two widely consumed programs depicting sexual assault. Findings indicate improvement, to some extent, in reducing the level of victim-blaming of survivors in television drama episodes airing in the post #MeToo era. Despite improvement, the continued emphasis of notions present in common male and female rape myths, even following #MeToo, make it imperative to understand how these types of portrayals may be influencing viewers’ perceptions of sexual assault survivors.