This fall MTV premiered it's most epic, thrilling and informative series to date. It's quickly become a favorite of mine to the point where I watched all 7 episodes in one day and now I'm anxiously waiting for the season finale to premiere this coming Tuesday at 10/9c.
This show came at a surprise to me simply because in the past decade there hasn't been a show that has centered solely around victims of sexual assault and yes even with Olivia Benson's attempt to shed light on those victims there's always some dramatic plotline to go along with it.
Sweet/Vicious is a show about two college girls, Ophelia and Jules, who have joined forces to fight back against those who have committed acts of sexual violence on their college campus. Ophelia is the irresponsible, Mary Jane loving, rebel with a perfect GPA and Jules is the cute little sorority girl, with a dark secret. They are both considered vigilantes on their campus but in the words of Ophelia, they’re vagilantes (cause they both have vaginas). However, it was Jules who started this whole thing and was using her lethal fighting skills to single-handedly put these guys in the E.R. After some training, Ophelia got the hang of it herself and week after week they targeted on campus rapists in all black uniform. They started out as strangers but now their friendship has bloomed into an unbreakable bond, like Batman and Robin.
For someone who has been a victim of sexual assault throughout their life, this show means so much more to me than female empowerment or fighting for justice. It's a reminder that I'm not alone, that there are men and women all over who have had this happen to them and that I shouldn't be afraid to talk about my experiences. However it is also a reminder that the systems that are built to protect us tend to leave us to our own devices. Universities victim blame in hopes of convincing these victims to not report their incidents just so it doesn’t tarnish the school’s reputation. My question is why are you going to open this learning institution for young people, make these special rights including Title IX and not take action when those rights are violated, let alone make sure they’re protected. Between the local police and a school’s administration office, I’m not sure who throws out more cases but regardless of that it’s unacceptable and they need to do better. Including our justice system, the U.S plays the role of the superhero on a global scale but most of the time it can’t even save it’s own people. We continue to victim blame and shame those from coming forward because it messes with the natural order of things. Men over women. Them over us. Straight men have the mentality that they can have sex with whoever, whenever and it’s whatever but that is the exact mentality that continues to contribute to rape culture and put down victims of sexual assault. No society is perfect but when we blatantly ignore our flaws, we leave little room for progress.
Sweet/Vicious has put rape culture and sexual violence at the forefront while somehow making it enjoyable to watch.The way in which it conveys its message is clear, concise and unapologetic and that's exactly what we need. There's no time to beat around the bush when it comes to sexual violence. I can't wait to see what else the show deals with as it preps for Season 2.
