Netflix's '13 Reasons Why' Did Nothing For WOC
If Hannah were black or latino, the story would be much different.
If you haven’t watched Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, don’t worry, you haven’t been living under a rock. In fact, it would be wise to take your time and heed the trigger warnings surrounding the series. For viewers, especially any survivors/victims of sexual assault or rape, watching the story of Hannah Baker unravel is emotional, and often challenging to get through.While it shouldn’t be classified as a waste of time, it also underscores something society has yet to apply to the conversation about rape and sexual assault: nuance. To our credit, we’ve finally admitted that there is a problem, and the past few years have been a real eye-opener about how millennial women experience rape and sexual assault, more specifically on college campuses.Last year, moments like Ke$ha openly talking about years of assault, or the decision regarding Brock Turner at Stanford University got us talking, even if we didn’t want to. In 2014, it was Emma Sulcowicz’s decision to carry her mattress around campus at Columbia University, that reopened the conversation, or “debate,” about how to hold the accused accountable. We’ve even come as far as having music artists, like Lady Gaga, step forward to advocate for survivors, and use their platform to spread awareness.This is why 13 Reasons Why seems like such a breakthrough. For once, we are talking about what’s so messed up about rape culture, and the part we all play in it. And that’s progress, isn’t it? I mean, we went from being in denial, to hinting at it, to actually having somewhat of a conversation about consent. All of this would be considered progress, but not if you’re a black or brown woman.Throughout the 13 episodes of 13 Reasons Why, we get to know the main character, Hannah Baker, and even grow to find her quips and sarcastic commentary reminiscent of a time when we too were teenagers trying to find our way. At this point, you might be asking, why would Hannah’s race be important? She’s still a woman! But as we see during the first few episodes of the series, a woman of color watching this can’t help but notice a few things...White women are at the center, always.This is the same critique we could also tack on to series like, Orange is the New Black. This is Hannah’s story about why she committed suicide, but as we continue to watch, we are also forced to decide whether her story is more important than Jessica, a woman of color who was raped by the same person. This is not only uncomfortable, but it doesn’t start the conversation people think it does. In no way should we ever have to think about whose trauma means more, but it doesn’t mean we aren’t left asking, "What about justice for Jessica?"By tape 12, we see Jessica’s story line completely become the background to Hannah’s story. Even while Hannah admits to failing Jessica and remaining silent during and after Jessica’s assault, you’re often torn between holding Hannah accountable, and feeling like it isn’t cool to critique someone who eventually takes their own life. So instead of trying to engage in an inner debate, we simply learn to focus on Hannah Baker and prioritize her story. Everything and everyone else, who also happen to be people of color, are simply part of her narrative.If Hannah were a woman of color, it wouldn’t be the same story.It’s not difficult to think about how this story changes if Hannah were black or latino. As Hannah becomes the target of slut shaming and cyberbullying, envisioning these experiences for a woman of color is just different knowing what we know.Statistically, women between the ages of 18–24 are at the highest risk of experiencing assault. Furthermore, one out of every six women will have this experience, and college women are three times as likely to experience sexual assault. But with a closer look, you’ll find that women of color are generally more likely to experience intimate partner violence, rape or assault than their white peers. Unfortunately, this has also meant that women of color are less likely to report it.Now imagine that not only are you being ignored to deal with that trauma on your own, but you’re told to just suck it up or be a “strong black woman.” Better yet, what if Hannah’s sarcasm, and at times, snark, were taken a step past being “the dramatic girl”? What if along with “crazy,” she was labeled as aggressive, and therefore, immune to rape or assault?Now think about if your attacker was a popular white athlete, similar to Jessica’s story, or if her attacker were of the same race. If the attacker happens to be of the same race, you face the added pressure to acknowledge how racism often disadvantages of people of color, and even confirming why you should stay silent for fear of ruining your fellow “brother’ in that struggle. If they’re white, you risk becoming the target of how white privilege and sexism make women of color non-victims and even suspects. In both instances, there is an element of victim blaming fueled by both sexism and racism.Did I mention how incredibly difficult it is to see your attacker held accountable? Hannah asked an important question to her guidance counselor, Mr. Porter (played Derek Luke). She asked, "Can you promise me he will go to jail?" For many survivors of color, seeking justice is an emotionally grueling process that forces you to relive that trauma. It just doesn’t seem worth it in the end if you risk being alienated and labeled as a trouble starter. This is also why Hannah's race is important. Women of color don't get to ask the question she asked, mostly because they already know the answer. All of the POC in the series are labeled “at fault.”Again, representation matters, but what we do with it matters more. While watching, more than half of the people on the tapes were people of color. What is equally bothersome is that every single one of them were considered part of the problem.Even as we get Hannah’s side and their response to the tapes about them, we don’t feel any better about those people. At some point, we judge them because Hannah does. When Jessica decided to stop being friends with Hannah, or when Cherie plowed her car into a stop sign that would endanger someone else, we were left scratching our heads going, wait, so all the people of color suck? In the world of 13 Reasons Why, yes. Apparently they do. In all fairness, each character did have a role in leaving her feeling unsupported, and shouldn't be absolved of accountability. But just like in scary movies where you expect the black person to die first, the people of color are a big part of the problem (again). This is not only disappointing, but places 13 Reasons Why into a space of depicting rape culture as a reality for all teens. But most of all, when women of color needed it the most, 13 Reasons Why left us guessing.By the end, we were wondering what would happen to women like Jessica, who have also experienced assault and didn't come forward? This, by far, is the outcome that mirrors the reality. This Netflix series was an opportunity, like any other story about our culture, to confront the uncomfortable truths about society. As 13 Reasons Why prepares for season 2, it's worth asking: When will we see women of color as survivors too? When will they become the subject of the story that starts a...
