What is it about?
This article explores how recent Netflix teen dramas portray sexual violence in the context of the #MeToo movement. It analyzes series like 13 Reasons Why, Elite, and Grand Army, comparing them with older teen shows from the 1990s and 2000s. The article highlights how these newer series adopt the perspective of victims, denounce rape culture, and offer more complex and responsible storylines about gender, sexuality, and consent.
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Why is it important?
Teen dramas reach large, young audiences and play a key role in shaping their understanding of gender roles and relationships. By addressing sexual assault and its aftermath through engaging, emotional storytelling, these shows can challenge harmful stereotypes, support feminist awareness, and provide viewers with tools to question power dynamics and seek justice. The article shows how entertainment can be both political and educational.
Perspectives
This research contributes to feminist media studies and the sociology of popular culture. It emphasizes the power of fiction to reflect and shape social debates, especially around sexual violence. By focusing on youth-oriented series and the streaming era, the article underlines the cultural and political significance of storytelling platforms like Netflix in the #MeToo era.
HELENE BREDA
Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Fighting Rape Culture, One Episode at a Time: a Feminist (R)evolution in the Depiction of Sexual Assault in Netflix Serialized Teen Dramas, May 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004547087_004.
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