Lady Gaga has always created buzz for her provocative music videos and, more recently, for her debut in American Horror Story. Her newest single, "Til it Happens to You," has generated a new reaction from her fans and more. If it weren’t for another Odyssey journalist writing about this last week, I don’t think I would have come across such a powerful, bone-chilling video. But I did, and I hope more and more people are as shocked as I was after watching it.
As I was reading the article, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Normally, artists use themselves as the star of their music videos, and have the storyboard revolve around them — "Til it Happens to You" does not.
The video, approximately five minutes in length, starts off with warning its viewers of “graphic content that may be emotionally unsettling, but reflects the realty of what is happening daily on college campuses”. Wait, what? This video is about what is happening on college campuses, daily? That’s me. Now I’m interested.
The video continues with showing a montage of four different girls getting sexually assaulted, and how they are affected by it. The first girl is in her own bedroom when a boy who she clearly knows comes in to talk to her. The second is a transgender man assaulted in a public bathroom, and lastly, two girls are assaulted at a party, after getting roofied. Annie E. Clark, Andrea L. Pino, Sofie Karasek and Kamilah Willingham, the women who are portrayed in the video, were not asking for it, or being flirty in any sense. The college-aged sexual assault survivors wrote a letter of gratitude to the producers for spreading the word about sexual assault. As seen in the Hollywood Reporter, they wrote:
“Since we first came forward with our personal stories of sexual assault to our family, to the media and in The Hunting Ground, our lives have changed significantly. A burgeoning movement to end campus rape has swept to schools across the country, inspiring new educational initiatives, legislation, and, most importantly, a widespread community of support for survivors. Within this community, the four of us have carried the weight of pressuring our institutions to reform, and have dedicated ourselves to this effort."
“The release of your song will have an unparalleled impact on the culture of campuses nationwide," they continued. "Imagine a survivor who, after hearing your song, no longer feels isolated or alone. Picture that survivor’s friend, telling that survivor that it’s not her fault … We want to thank you both for having the courage to write and perform this song and for allowing your talent, your music, your lyrics and your voices to tell our stories."
Warren, the director of the video, responded that, “The letter from the survivors from the documentary The Hunting Ground that was sent to Lady Gaga and me made me cry. I am humbled by this brave and beautiful letter, and being able to write a song that can not only speak to this cause but can hopefully help bring some healing as well.”
After each of the victims are surrounded by friends and support, the video closes with the quote, “One in five college women will be sexually assaulted this year unless something changes. A portion of proceeds from the sale of the song will be donated to organizations helping survivors of sexual assault.”
If you feel strongly about the video, want to join the cause, or learn more, take the http://itsonus.org/#landing pledge to make a personal commitment to help keep men and woman safe from sexual assault.
Photos via It's On Us
For help call National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE
