By now, everyone has probably heard of the new Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why. But, in case you haven't heard of it, I'll give you a quick run-down.

13 Reasons Why is the title of a novel written by Jay Asher, and was released as a show on Netflix a couple weeks ago. Here's the thing, 13 Reasons Why is not your typical teen drama where the characters always end up okay in the end. In fact, 13 Reasons Why is about the complete opposite; seventeen-year-old Hannah who ends her own life due to the stresses of bullying and sexual harassment. From the beginning, we are aware that Hannah kills herself, and we are watching from the outside on all of the events which led to her death. However, Hannah leaves behind cassette tapes with her voice recordings on them. Within the first episode, we learn that Hannah left behind specific directions for her tapes to be passed on to the people that hurt her the most. The series is made up of thirteen episodes, each one based off of one of the tapes Hannah left behind. As the show progresses we find ourselves falling in love with Clay Jensen, the one person who loved Hannah through everything she went through. Even though he was hopelessly in love with Hannah Baker, Clay couldn't find it within himself to admit his feelings and instead admired her from the sidelines.

There are so many important things to discuss about 13 Reasons Why. Let me first start by saying this show is crucial to watch. Whether you are male or female, this show has importance to you, and soon you will see why.

Sexual harassment is not a joke. In fact, a lot of people laugh it off or assume that the girl is being "too dramatic" or "took things the wrong way". Unfortunately, too many girls deal with sexual harassment daily, maybe without even knowing it. The words "slut" and "whore" were used so commonly in my high school that eventually they lost the cruel meaning behind them for most people. In 13 Reasons Why, an unfortunate picture of Hannah gets sent around the school and taken into the wrong context, which spirals into the beginning of the end for her. Just like many other girls, she instantly lost her reputation as it was diminished due to some harsh rumors. You know the saying "Boys will be boys"? It's about time we got rid of that. One of the major and most controversial topics brought up in the show is rape. (If the word "rape" makes you feel uncomfortable, then there's all of the more reason you need to continue reading.) Not just one but two girls are rape victims in this particular show. Below are a list of just a few of the facts from the Huffington post about rape and sexual assault. I would like for you to take a look at these facts, and I would like for you to take a second to let them soak in.

A woman's chance of being raped in college, 1 in 4 or 5

Percentage of rapes not reported, 54%

Percentage of rapists who are never incarcerated, 97%

Percentage of rapes that college students think are false claims, 50%

Percentage of claims that are actually false, 2-8%

In 13 Reasons Why, Hannah first witnesses one of her best friends being raped and later, Hannah herself gets raped by the same boy. A rapist doesn't have to have a certain look. He doesn't have to look dirty, or mean or old; he could just look like a normal person, and I think that the producers of 13 Reasons Why do a nice job in making us realize that. The rapist, Bryce Walker, is a well-known and high prioritized high school jock. He is not the stereotypical "rapist" that we see in other television shows all of the time.

In the 29 minute extra, 13 Reasons Why: Beyond the Reasons, we get to see what the actors, producers and mental health professionals thought of the making of the series. Everyone interviewed pointed out how crucial it was to reveal the whole truth while filming the show. In today's society, we sometimes try to hide the harsh reality of rape. In the recent 2016 Stanford rape case, Brock Turner was released after only three months in jail after raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. This case infuriated people who believed this boy should have served a longer sentence, and in return, this case sparked some attention to the topic of rape.

13 Reasons Why details a lot more than just rape. It presents drunk driving, suicide, cyber bullying and so much more. It has taken a very long time for a show like this to come along, to give us the raw truth that we sometimes all rather ignore than face up to. Rape and sexual assault are not issues to sweep under the rug. As a growing issue, we need to stand together to fight it- in and outside of court.

Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/50-fa...