American Film and Television to Blame for Reporter's Sexual Assault?

Maybe.

I just read an article by a reporter named Angella Johnson here. In it, she talks about her experiences covering the protests in Egypt. She details an account where she was sexually assaulted, taunted and intimidated by a mob of men similarly to CBS correspondent Lara Logan. 

In her personal account, Johnson quotes a friend of hers who says,

'In their minds, you and Lara were just two "infidel whores", the kind of sexually-liberated women they see in films and videos, or the ones who visit on holiday, get drunk and have liaisons with local men.' 

After spending a semester abroad, I completely agree with that statement. In my first few days in Italy, the coordinator for my program told us explicitly to be aware of our company, how we portray ourselves, and how our behavior could be portrayed or misinterpreted by men.


All too often, in foreign countries, the words "American" and "girl" conjure up lewd images in the minds of men. While I was in Venice, one man was appalled when I refused his advances asking me, "But aren't you American?!" Decades of "teen flicks" have influenced the way the rest of the world perceives not only Americans, but women.


We're often portrayed as drunk and disorderly sluts who give at first resist advances, but eventually give in to the desires of men. We're expected to take our clothes off at parties and make out with one another. We are supposed to dance provocatively and act promiscuously and are very rarely taken seriously.


I believe a lot of factors played into the horrible attacks on these two reporters, but I feel that we should definitely reconsider how our country portrays women to the rest of the world. Perhaps if we were portrayed as intelligent, strong, and confident we might be treated as such -- rather than the objects we are portrayed as and subsequently treated as.