I do not live or work in Hollywood. Nothing about my life is dependent on the most recognizable product of Hollywood. But I am a consumer of that product, although I have decreased that usage in recent months, mostly because of the pointedly painful bias against women. In both product and production.

This is not anything new. The world has been aware of the misogyny for years. But the stories of men like Weinstein, Dustin Hoffman, Roman Polanski, Bill Cosby and a host of others have taken the story to a whole new level. Not only was it allowable to display a disregard for women within their “art”, but obviously they could live with it in their lives as well. With the machinations of Hollywood as a protector.

So many women victimized by the amorality of men in power. Women directly assaulted. And women subject to their assaults by the consumption of the their product. The insidiousness of the message has deeply affected the self image of women in a way that can only be undone with equal effort and time.

Even the iconic character of Olivia Benson From Law and Order: SUV is a perpetuation of that victimization. She is a product of a crime against a woman, perhaps the greatest crime perpetuated against women. Rape. Not only can we imagine the pain her mother endured throughout her own life, but it is also the greatest element of corruption within Olivia herself. How many moments in that characters life was dedicated to dealing with being the product of a crime? Not to mention Olivia Benson being the poster child of anti-abortionists.

The constant reminder of what pain can be inflicted on a woman is a control mechanism. Our perceived vulnerabilities are played up but never our struggle against them. The display of our efforts toward self protection are another way “good intentioned” men remind us that we need protecting. As if it is our fault we are preyed upon.

Hollywood knows, understands and embraces its ability to define a societal narrative. It prides itself on setting the standard for all level of relationships. In the early days it defined the nuclear family, much to the exclusion of those that didn’t fit the profile. A nuclear family that mirrored the families of the Caucasian men in power.

A book came out in the 70’s, From Reverence To Rape by Molly Haskell. It is a chronological study of the image of women in the movies. Since then, the degradation has continued. There are countless examples of violence against women in films that are gratuitous and unnecessarily graphic. Not only does that serve as a reminder that we can be victimized, but it also reinforces the male belief in two ideals. 1, that they are the dominators and free to act at will, and 2, they are our protectors. Neither of those ideals show us to be equal.

Even the elevation of a woman to head a studio cannot undo the harm done over time. The head of a studio is the face of that studio, not the purveyor of art. The writers, directors, and ultimately, the producers create what we see. The dominating group is white men. Until we force a change, by tickets bought, we will not see a real dissection of the image of women. It serves the power structure to keep women controlled by the victimization narrative.