More insidiously, it commodifies suffering.
I have watched survivors be re-traumatized by Q&A sessions where audience members asked graphic, voyeuristic questions. I have watched them be triggered by campaign photoshoots that required them to recreate the setting of their assault. I have watched them be discarded when their story stopped being “timely.”
Why? Because boring is relatable. Relatable is actionable. 14 Year Old Girl Fucked And Raped By Big Dog Animal Sex
There is a small organization in the Midwest that does this brilliantly. They don’t run billboards with statistics. They run a podcast where survivors talk about mundane things: learning to trust a new partner, navigating custody court, explaining their triggers to a boss. The episodes are long, unedited, and often boring.
Most awareness campaigns are designed by committees. Lawyers, marketers, and development directors sit in a room and ask: What story can we tell that won’t scare away our donors? More insidiously, it commodifies suffering
A subset of awareness campaigns has veered into what I call “trauma pornography.” These are the PSAs that show graphic reenactments. The documentaries that linger on the moment of violation. The social media posts that describe the violence in visceral, novelistic detail.
I told the clean narrative because that’s what the campaign needed. And every time I told it, I felt a little more hollow. I have watched them be discarded when their
Do not edit the anger out. Do not demand a happy ending. Do not ask a survivor to be a symbol of inspiration. Let them be a person.