In defence of 13 Reasons Why

It is difficult to assess whether a crime such as rape can be portrayed sensitively. It can especially be massively triggering for survivors of assault. Hindi films are infamous for their crude depictions of rape scenes or, as in Kaabil, rape is only a shameful event for the patriarch of the family whose honour is lost. The top of the list in terrible scenes is of course The Last Tango in Paris where the action was enacted in real life so as to elicit a “real” reaction.

A set of recently released short web films were an exercise in how to be sensitive about portrayal of sexual harassment. Cosmopolitan’s #ThatsHarassment campaign dealt with sexual harassment at work and had six films directed by Israeli-American director Sigal Avin. With David Schwimmer – the beloved Ross of Friends – heading it, the films gave a visual insight into what sexual harassment looks like. “I realized that I really wanted to see what sexual harassment was instead of hearing about it and reading about it all the time,” Avin told Cosmopolitan. She went on to say that unrealistic violent portrayals of the crime did little to show the gray areas that we are unsure would be valid as harassment or not.

“You think I’m taking it all way too seriously. But here’s the thing – you’ve never been a girl.” (YouTube/Netflix US & Canada)

Similarly with 13 Reasons Why, both accounts of sexual assault focused on trauma and on the woman who was affected instead of unrealistic portrayals of “lust” of the men that bring the scene in the arena of being erotic – bordering on pornographic even – rather than traumatic. There weren’t the extra loud screams, dramatically flailing limbs, or an unnaturally grimacing face. Jessica lay unconscious but not completely unaware and we saw the assault on her from three differing points of view, adding gravitas to the effect. In the scene with Hannah, her face gave away every emotion we needed to see to comprehend what was happening, in every way, criminal. The scenes are jarring and make you want to look away and that is exactly why they are important.

Apart from its obvious feminist messages in the portrayal of rape, harassment and slut shaming, the show subtly grazes the issue of the “drama queen” as well.

At multiple points in the show, Clay hears that whatever Hannah had done was just for attention. In episode three, Hannah herself delivers a seemingly innocuous but important dialogue:

“Alex, maybe you think I’m being silly like I get my titties in a twist over the tiniest things, but you didn’t walk that hall. You didn’t feel those eyes on you. You’ve never heard those whispers. You think I’m taking it all way too seriously. But here’s the thing – you’ve never been a girl.”

Their story isn’t over. Season 2 of #13ReasonsWhy is coming. pic.twitter.com/nY5vTUfXdo

— 13 Reasons Why (@13ReasonsWhy) May 7, 2017

Drama queen is a word oft used to describe women who appear out of character, demand more than what others deems appropriate, get their “titties in twist” for no reason at all. Men and women alike are known to deride those girls as women who call too much attention to themselves. Crying is one of the hallmarks of the drama; an action that not only gets you accused of drawing attention to yourself but also portrays you as a weakling who “just can’t take it”.

Hannah was slut shamed, her personal poetry flagged for everyone to make fun of, unnecessary rumours about her screamed from the rooftops. (Facebook/13ReasonsWhy)

A quick Google search of the phrase “drama queen” will give you a number of links that basically advise on how to not be one or lose the favour of men.

The show focuses on the actual hardships that a girl can go through in high school. With insensitivity at its peak, it is easy to become the joke for a whole year of school. Hannah was slut shamed, her personal poetry flagged for everyone to make fun of, unnecessary rumours about her screamed from the rooftops. It is for surveys to show whether real life high school really does go that far; but it does have a certain degree of such bullying. Emotions flare as feelings get hurt and a breakdown is a sure shot way to be labeled a drama queen.

The show forces us to look beyond this gravely unhealthy label. It forces us to see that a person could possibly be going through a serious mental health problem. When a label such as this is introduced, the person might be forced to not take their own feelings seriously, “suck it up”, bottling their them up until it reaches a point where they feel like, as Hannah did, there is no choice but to end things.

The cast of “13 Reasons Why” poses in the press room at the MTV Movie and TV Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (AP)

13 Reasons Why does a fantastic job of reversing the so-called revenge fantasy by emphasising, in the end, that the suicide was Hannah’s choice. Everyone mentioned in her tapes had wronged her in unimaginable ways and had she received but an ounce of help, she would have faced the perpetrators alive than dead. It still remained Hannah’s choice to kill herself, arising from circumstances created by others.