Not the Right Kind of Victim: Intersectional Sexual Stereotypes & Victim-Blame in 13 Reasons Why

• In Event: Crime, Media, and Entertainment

Abstract

This study explored, through an intersectional lens, how sexual stereotypes were portrayed, and influenced victim-blame in fictional sexual assault survivor portrayals in 13 Reasons Why. Data was collected and analyzed using a qualitative content analysis of sexual assault experiences in the full series of 13 Reasons Why (49 episodes). The findings offer a comprehensive example of how portrayals reflect how gendered sexual stereotypes are also thoroughly raced and classed, reinforcing location in social hierarchies and thereby influencing perceptions of blame. If the sexual assault survivor prototype is that of a upper-middle class White woman, the expectation would be that those who hold marginalized identities outside of the prototype would be more likely to experience blame. However, these findings unexpectedly were contradictory to notions of intersectional invisibility. The content analysis also revealed differences in the different sexual stereotypes used for various survivors, including key examples of how survivors tried to adhere to the expected survivor prototype or were forced to lean into any divergences. Because the presence of victim-blaming in media can serve to reinforce or criticize the adoption of victim-blaming attitudes, it is crucial to explore how intersecting identities may influence presence of victim-blaming in fictional sexual assault survivor portrayals.

Author

• Mia Kelly, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire