Have you ever seen your pain through other’s eyes? We have all experienced the relatable pull towards someone else’s truth or experience whether that be represented in a scene of a movie, lyrics to a song, or perhaps an image or novel. That relatability often provokes personal emotions to arise, be it positive or negative sentiments. There is something to be said about experiencing trauma first-hand, furthermore, it’s even more thought-provoking when hearing of
someone else’s similar testimony. Years after our experiences of sexual assault, we consider these truths to be self-evident, that our survival-hood is an ongoing process open to ushering in more stories of triumph; while healing from the repercussions of pain, anger, and loss felt by others. Mass media has played a pivotal role is sharing stories similar to my own; forcing me to become even more sensitive to the reality of my own personal experience being shared by so many others. If I am speaking transparently, I am often overwhelmed with a lot of emotions when hearing other sexual assault stories in the media. Emotions range from anger to displaced pain I personally internalize from my own experiences of abuse. Much of my frustration is only amplified in a justice system that does very little to empathize with survivors like ourselves. When you strip away the victim-blaming, and get to the truly upsetting problem; the prevelance of sexual violence, the pain often becomes riddled in helplessness. Sexuality and sexual expression is not as much of a taboo, in our society. We have been conditioned to believe that the only way to sell art or obtain success is through the use of sex. Almost everyone has heard the saying “Sex Sales.” They aren’t wrong either. “The sex industry alone accumulates $150 BILLION a year for traffickers; $99 billion is made from sexual exploitation alone. “ (https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/resource/human-trafficking-numbers) “By 2025, adult content is forecast to be a $1 billion business, the third-biggest virtual-reality sector, after videogames ($1.4 billion) and NFL-related content ($1.23 billion), according to estimates from Piper Jaffray.” This is only further enforced in the industry that I work in as a model/actress, where I see this all first hand. I know actresses who get paid thousands more for exposing themselves nude or partially nude for film than other extras or principle actors. I’ve been offered payment for implied or partially nude shoots from photographers and even pressured by some designers to “expose more” all for the sake of art. I have turned down a lot, but have found myself in compromising situations that are accepted as being “normal” and just part of the industry. It is an industry that is in charge of not only selling to the culture, but influencing as well. As much as sex has become normalized in our society, it becomes even more challenging to accept the pain behind the profit of such industries. The truth in the stories of survivors that come forward arelte often than not, questioned before they are believed. Society is forced to question how something that is was made for entertaining turn into a human rights offense. Sexual assault offenses disrupt the system’s marketing ploy against its consumers. Forcing consumers to question their participation in a culture than desensitizes sexually explicit acts for the purpose of profit. But at what cost? These REAL life testimonies must then be sifted through the facade: that the purpose for sex is solely for entertainment. Sex is also used as a form of power and control; and when manipulated, it can lead to damaging repercussions. On the other side of pain and heartbreak from a broken system and mislead culture, I still have a passion to change the content in our culture that influences such acts. As a survivor and advocate for other survivors, I have made it my responsibility and passion to choose projects and work with people who are conscious of the power that media has on our culture. I don’t get it right all the time...I too have been conditioned to believe that images like these or roles that sexually degrad women of color fill up my bank account quicker, that success is one half-nude shoot away to a MAJOR campaign. I am however, very mindful of my influence. I can no longer ignore the realities that so many continue to face. We as consumers of brands, and mass media in general have more power than we think. We have the right to call ads and content into question, we have the right to demand more from creatives, advertisers, and our media. I’m still hopeful and I believe that overtime we can undo the conditioning that has made our world insensitive to issues that affect us on both a personal and global level. With love and solidarity, Herstory💕
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