Well...is there anything essentially wrong with that? Seriously, is there anything morally reprehensible about imagining an attractive woman naked?
Personally, I think that, from a storytelling perspective, there's nothing wrong with sexualized violence, given that it combines two majors pulls for emotional investment. It's when the concept of sexualized violence is overused in a specific, damaging way to the point that it overshoots being a trope and becomes an expected cliche that there's a problem.
After all, it's to be expected that characters in a suitably dramatic, action-filled work of fiction would encounter violence. And, because humans are hard-wired to appreciate sexual displays, it's to be expected that the characters encountering violence will be somewhat attractive. With that in mind, I don't think there's anything especially objectionable about the idea of a female character being attacked in her apartment. (Though it bears pointing out that I would find the exact same event in real life shocking and horrible.) If the female character had been reduced to a cliche-ridden cardboard cutout by the trauma of it all, then I would object, but based off your description? I don't see anything especially wrong with it.
On the other hand, if it didn't fit into the narrative and seemed tacked on for the sake of fanservice (assuming that's what you meant by gratuitious) then that's an entirely separate issue, having more to do with the skill of the author than sex and violence tropes.
That is what I meant by gratuitious. They can't do a nude scene on network television, but here, the reader can imagine the hot actress naked.
And I agree that it can be used effectively, but it's become the cliche to up the drama for a female character with a rape/attempted rape, and disturbingly, seems to have a taint of happening to strong women characters to either explain why they got tough and cynical, or to show them vulnerable and knock them down a peg.
And it's freaking everywhere. The last two other books I happened to read had a rape/ rape threat to female characters. I'm just tired of it.
Personally, I think that, from a storytelling perspective, there's nothing wrong with sexualized violence, given that it combines two majors pulls for emotional investment. It's when the concept of sexualized violence is overused in a specific, damaging way to the point that it overshoots being a trope and becomes an expected cliche that there's a problem.
After all, it's to be expected that characters in a suitably dramatic, action-filled work of fiction would encounter violence. And, because humans are hard-wired to appreciate sexual displays, it's to be expected that the characters encountering violence will be somewhat attractive. With that in mind, I don't think there's anything especially objectionable about the idea of a female character being attacked in her apartment. (Though it bears pointing out that I would find the exact same event in real life shocking and horrible.) If the female character had been reduced to a cliche-ridden cardboard cutout by the trauma of it all, then I would object, but based off your description? I don't see anything especially wrong with it.
On the other hand, if it didn't fit into the narrative and seemed tacked on for the sake of fanservice (assuming that's what you meant by gratuitious) then that's an entirely separate issue, having more to do with the skill of the author than sex and violence tropes.
Reply
And I agree that it can be used effectively, but it's become the cliche to up the drama for a female character with a rape/attempted rape, and disturbingly, seems to have a taint of happening to strong women characters to either explain why they got tough and cynical, or to show them vulnerable and knock them down a peg.
And it's freaking everywhere. The last two other books I happened to read had a rape/ rape threat to female characters. I'm just tired of it.
Reply
Leave a comment