At first, I couldn’t hold back the tears; what I was witnessing was just too powerful and raw for words. It shook me to the core because it highlighted the idea that it could in fact happen to me. With haunting lyrics and graphics images of young girls, including a trans boy, being sexually assaulted on a college campus, Lady Gaga’s new music video titled “Til It Happens to You” sheds light in an ongoing problem across campuses in the United States.
The video, shot all in black and white, opens up with “the following contains graphic content that may be emotionally unsettling but reflects the reality of what is happening daily on college campuses.” It then proceeds to demonstrate what it actually means to be sexually assaulted, in this case raped, in three different scenarios and having to deal with the aftermath of the assault. The shame, pain, and utter destruction these three people are left to deal with is only the beginning.
It sets the stage for the growing epidemic in rape cases across campuses in the United States as well as the victims who live in the shadows because schools refuse to acknowledge it.
Till It happens to you, you don't know how it feels, how it feels…
The video ends with the frightening statistic that one in five women will be sexually assaulted this year alone.
One thing is to read a statistical number and another is to actually show someone being raped so graphically. It is meant to shift the focus on a number and instead on humanizing the victims in order to gain attention and finally take these cases seriously. Being sexually assaulted should not be part of the college experience.
Lady Gaga has taken a brave step in using the celebrity status to open the subject on rape in college campuses and on a more personal matter. What some may not know is that she speaks from her own traumas. According to Lady Gaga herself, a record producer raped her at the age of 19 but she never felt comfortable enough to speak about her experience. She said "I'll be damned if somebody's gonna say that every creatively intelligent thing that I ever did is all boiled down to one dickhead [who] did that to me," she said. "I'm going to take responsibility for all my pain looking beautiful and all the things that I've made out of my strife. I did that."
It comes to no surprise that Lady Gaga never told anyone about her harrowing event. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network), 68 percent of sexual assault incidents go unreported, and much of this has to do with the rape culture of current time. This includes victim blaming and social stigmas that are experienced by both women and men.
Reactions of this music video seem to focus on how realistic it is and are starting conversations on the subject. Her video is just one of the several stances being taken on sexual assault and on the aftermath it leaves on its victims. These victims are often robbed of their youth and forced to deal with unexpected circumstances. What is often more traumatic than the event itself, is the silence met by those who are supposed to be there to help them. The phrase “til’ it happens to you” not only limits the growing threat of this epidemic to college students, but to anyone in the world. It encompasses an entire culture of how we see sexual assault and how much importance we give it.
After watching the video several times and being deeply sadden as my initial reaction, I am now disappointed and angered at the lack of attention and action being taken. It is time to take a stand to change the way things are not only on campuses but also in a general scheme.
(Video Down Below - Disclaimer: Video Contains Graphic Content)
Also, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the single will be donated to organizations that help survivors of sexual assault.
