TLC’s reality show 19 Kids and Counting – a show following the lives of extremely conservative Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their 19 children – has been on the air for 10 seasons. It was just this week, however, that fans were shocked to hear the eldest son of the family, Josh Duggar, has admitted to allegations of sexual molestation from 2006.
While this is an incredibly sensitive and difficult issue to discuss, as the case is still ongoing, I was particularly struck by the way in which the media chose to handle this story. Hundreds of magazines and blogs wrote headlines regarding the reality show’s ratings, should Josh be asked to leave, rather than focusing on the legitimacy of the crime or the effect on the victims. The perpetrator of such crimes gaining fame and attention is not a new concept, particularly in American media.
Another, more extreme example of this, is the Steubenville, Ohio, sexual assault case which garnered an incredible amount of media attention just two years ago, due to the element of social media. Two football players were charged with the assault of a 16-year-old girl, who was too intoxicated to defend herself. Rather than focusing solely on the details of the case, media outlets firstly criticized the victim for allowing herself to become so intoxicated, and then mourned the loss of the boys’ football careers upon their conviction.
Such media attention not only glamorizes the boys who were convicted, but is an extreme form of victim shaming, which contributes to the large number of un-reported cases. In the United States, approximately 54 per cent of sexual assaults are not reported to police while 97 per cent of rapists will never spend a day in jail according to the National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.
Victim shaming is not the responsibility of the media alone; rape culture is ever present in many aspects of our culture: TV shows, song lyrics or a well-intended joke. It is through such influence that people are led to believe that a woman’s safety is dependent on the length of her skirt; that a man’s well-being is dependent upon his dominance. This simply is not true.
While there are many aspects of the Josh Duggar case still to be determined, the way the media has handled the case thus far – shifting the focus from the case to TV ratings, making Duggar the victim of the TLC channel’s decision, is, in a mild sense, further perpetuating victim blaming. This particular case is being brought to attention after many years, which cannot be easy for anyone involved to relive. I can only hope the victims and the families involved can find peace during this media circus.
Jennifer Hamilton is a local student and aspiring writer.
