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*Content/trigger warning: discusses concern that sexual abuse might be occurring in fictional TV shows/movies. No details or examples.*








*(See content warning above)*
Hi!

I sometimes like to watch movies or TV with sexual scenes or themes, but am concerned whether sexual abuse might be happening behind the scenes or on screen on a hidden way. I stay away from “traditional” (video) porn for these reasons, but can’t really get written erotica because I’m a minor and don’t have much spending money. I try to research what I’m going to watch beforehand, but I don’t know likely I am to find a problem if it exists.
I’m wondering what ideas people have on this, both on the problem and how to deal with it.

Thanks,
- AQ

Hey AQ!

That's a valid concern to have. One thing I can recommend is to look up the movie or TV show on sites like IMDb (or even just googling it!) to see if they have something called an intimacy coordinator. These people are behind-the-scenes crew who are specifically hired to help organize and plan scenes that are intimate (ie. sex scenes, shower scenes, even kisses) so everybody involved is comfortable. Knowing that the media you're consuming has been produced with this care taken to make sure consent is obtained may help with your anxiety.

Additionally, if you're concerned about consuming media that depicts sexual assault or harassment, I would recommend DoesTheDogDie or Unconsenting Media, which are websites that catalogue triggers in media; DoesTheDogDie catalogues a lot of content (like spiders or snakes) whereas Unconsenting Media focuses entirely on sexual violence.

Hi CaitlinEve!

Thanks for the ideas — I’ve heard of intimacy coordinators, but didn’t think to look them up for whether they worked on a given piece of media. Some of what I watch is older (1980s/90s) and probably doesn’t have intimacy coordinators, although that’s probably an indication to avoid that period in general.

I’d heard of Unconsenting Media but not DoesTheDogDie, I’ll definitely look the second one up.

- AQ

(To anyone reading this thread, I’m interested in hearing different ideas if you have them, although, to be clear, I really appreciate these thoughts.)

Hey there AQ!

In addition to the great advice Cat gave, something else you can look into if you’re concerned about what’s going on behind the scenes of a piece of media you’re consuming is to look at the director/producer team in comparison with the actors. Googling whoever made that piece of media can give you some more clues on if they have their actors best interests in mind, if there’s been any safety concerns about them, or even just if they can foster a safe environment on set. How does that sound?

Hi!

Sorry for taking a while to respond, I had a bunch of stuff yesterday and today (fun stuff but tiring).

I really appreciate that idea, I hadn’t thought of googling the director/producer team. (Getting ideas I haven’t thought of is part of why I love Scarleteen )

-AQ