Teenage Dream Turned Teenage Nightmare What Katy Perry’s Harassment Allegations Reveal About The Chronic Underreporting of Male Sexual Assault.
We need to talk about Katy.
When Christian rapper Flame accused Katy Perry of copyright infringement on her 2013 hit “Dark Horse,” all eyes turned towards the pop star, yet when multiple men have accused Perry of sexual harassment, the national response has been less a “Roar” and more a whimper.
Josh Kloss, a model appearing in the music video for Perry’s 2010 single “Teenage Dream,” is the most recent in a long line of similar allegations against the singer. Whether it be grabbing at Shawn Mendes at the iHeartMusic red carpet, pulling an American Idol contestant into an unrequited kiss, or, as Kloss disclosed in a recent Instagram post, exposing the model’s genitals to a crowd of onlookers, the star has serious allegations against her, yet there has been little outrage or even awareness of the issue. In the #MeToo era, it’s easy to assume that those guilty of sexual abuse have been excommunicated from the media, but Perry’s career is far from over. In fact, two months before Kloss’ accusation, she released her 19th Billboard Top 20 hit single, “Never Really Over.”
This trend of female celebs failing to face legitimate backlash for assault, even in the wake of the #MeToo movement, is no secret. When actress Lena Dunham attempted to force an unwanted kiss on “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” co-star Brad Pitt, she faced no major consequence. When Cardi B openly admitted to drugging and robbing men on an Instagram Live, she faced no major consequence. And when Katy Perry has developed a questionable reputation surrounding the treatment of her male peers, she faces no major consequence.
But sexual assault commited by a California Gurl is still sexual assault.
This double standard extends beyond Hollywood. In fact, the bias extends to the deepest roots of the #MeToo movement. Filmmaker Asia Argento, one of the first to accuse Harvey Weinstein and one of the founders of the #MeToo movement, was accused with proof of not only sexual assaulting underaged actor Jimmy Bennett, but attempting to pay him off in exchange for his silence. While police investigated the matter with near-definitive proof of what Bennett describes as “sexual battery”, Argento was never charged. The media remained relatively silent. Where there should’ve been a “roar” in defense of the young actor, there remained a whimper.
This is not to decry the #MeToo movement on the whole. It has broken barriers and sparked conversations about harassment that would’ve otherwise gone unreported. No movement is perfect in execution, but it speaks volumes that male victims have, by and large, been ignored in the national conversation surrounding sex crimes. It speaks volumes that a face of the movement condemning sexual assault is a sexual assaulter. It speaks volumes that this sexual assaulter faces next to no consequences.
Asia Argento, Cardi B, and now Katy Perry have flown under the radar because of our collective unwillingness to acknowledge male victims of sexual assault. When male celebrities like Louis C.K., Al Franken, or Kevin Spacey were proven to partake in sexual misconduct, their careers were justifiably stalled, yet female celebrities have had thriving careers in spite of similar evidence.
But sexual assault commited by a California Gurl is still sexual assault.
Contrary to popular perception, male sexual assault is no rarity. In a 2014 study conducted by the CDC, it was found that over 1 in 6 males had been sexually assaulted by the age of 18. For reference, in a single classroom, it is statistically likely that more than one student has already been a victim of sexual assault.
Yet society not only fails acknowledge male sexual assault, but actively mocks it. In spite of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center reporting that about 15% of rape cases and 40% of domestic volence cases have male victims, there remains a stigma against men who seek help in the face of abuse. Whether it’s a police officer laughing off a man’s report of rape (which, as the International Journal of Police Science purports, does happen in nearly half of all reports) or our culture laughing off allegations of sexual harassment perpetrated by California Gurls, we are sending a clear message to male victims: they are not allowed to be victims.
In a world where “men’s rights activism” is a subtle moniker for “anti-feminism”, it’s understandable to be skeptical of calls to examine man’s right to victimhood. But at its core, sexual assault is about power dynamics. In a culture still wrenching itself from the grip of patriarchy, these power dynamics often end with men taking control of women. It’s why the majority of sexual assault cases have female victims, and it’s why women have been at the forefront of the #MeToo movement. It’s why one could easily assume that stressing the need for man’s right to victimhood is simply man trying to take the power and the narrative away from women.
But sexual assault committed by a California Gurl is still sexual assault.
In order to truly combat sexual assault, one must realize that women are on occasion in a position to assault men. Take the men making claims against Perry: a contestant on American Idol or a young celebrity or most recently a male model employed by Perry herself. All found themselves cornered by an assaulter with more star-power or direct authority over them. And that assaulter was a woman. Millions of men have stories like this that they are simply too afraid to tell.
For Kloss, the behavior of his employer turned his Teenage Dream into a Teenage Nightmare. The fact that he was a man doesn’t cure his nightmares. The fact that said employer was a woman doesn’t change that reality.
When Christian rapper Flame accused Katy Perry of copyright infringement on her 2013 hit “Dark Horse,” all eyes turned towards the pop star, yet when multiple men have accused Perry of sexual harassment, the national response has been less a “Roar” and more a whimper.
Josh Kloss, a model appearing in the music video for Perry’s 2010 single “Teenage Dream,” is the most recent in a long line of similar allegations against the singer. Whether it be grabbing at Shawn Mendes at the iHeartMusic red carpet, pulling an American Idol contestant into an unrequited kiss, or, as Kloss disclosed in a recent Instagram post, exposing the model’s genitals to a crowd of onlookers, the star has serious allegations against her, yet there has been little outrage or even awareness of the issue. In the #MeToo era, it’s easy to assume that those guilty of sexual abuse have been excommunicated from the media, but Perry’s career is far from over. In fact, two months before Kloss’ accusation, she released her 19th Billboard Top 20 hit single, “Never Really Over.”
This trend of female celebs failing to face legitimate backlash for assault, even in the wake of the #MeToo movement, is no secret. When actress Lena Dunham attempted to force an unwanted kiss on “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” co-star Brad Pitt, she faced no major consequence. When Cardi B openly admitted to drugging and robbing men on an Instagram Live, she faced no major consequence. And when Katy Perry has developed a questionable reputation surrounding the treatment of her male peers, she faces no major consequence.
But sexual assault commited by a California Gurl is still sexual assault.
This double standard extends beyond Hollywood. In fact, the bias extends to the deepest roots of the #MeToo movement. Filmmaker Asia Argento, one of the first to accuse Harvey Weinstein and one of the founders of the #MeToo movement, was accused with proof of not only sexual assaulting underaged actor Jimmy Bennett, but attempting to pay him off in exchange for his silence. While police investigated the matter with near-definitive proof of what Bennett describes as “sexual battery”, Argento was never charged. The media remained relatively silent. Where there should’ve been a “roar” in defense of the young actor, there remained a whimper.
This is not to decry the #MeToo movement on the whole. It has broken barriers and sparked conversations about harassment that would’ve otherwise gone unreported. No movement is perfect in execution, but it speaks volumes that male victims have, by and large, been ignored in the national conversation surrounding sex crimes. It speaks volumes that a face of the movement condemning sexual assault is a sexual assaulter. It speaks volumes that this sexual assaulter faces next to no consequences.
Asia Argento, Cardi B, and now Katy Perry have flown under the radar because of our collective unwillingness to acknowledge male victims of sexual assault. When male celebrities like Louis C.K., Al Franken, or Kevin Spacey were proven to partake in sexual misconduct, their careers were justifiably stalled, yet female celebrities have had thriving careers in spite of similar evidence.
But sexual assault commited by a California Gurl is still sexual assault.
Contrary to popular perception, male sexual assault is no rarity. In a 2014 study conducted by the CDC, it was found that over 1 in 6 males had been sexually assaulted by the age of 18. For reference, in a single classroom, it is statistically likely that more than one student has already been a victim of sexual assault.
Yet society not only fails acknowledge male sexual assault, but actively mocks it. In spite of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center reporting that about 15% of rape cases and 40% of domestic volence cases have male victims, there remains a stigma against men who seek help in the face of abuse. Whether it’s a police officer laughing off a man’s report of rape (which, as the International Journal of Police Science purports, does happen in nearly half of all reports) or our culture laughing off allegations of sexual harassment perpetrated by California Gurls, we are sending a clear message to male victims: they are not allowed to be victims.
In a world where “men’s rights activism” is a subtle moniker for “anti-feminism”, it’s understandable to be skeptical of calls to examine man’s right to victimhood. But at its core, sexual assault is about power dynamics. In a culture still wrenching itself from the grip of patriarchy, these power dynamics often end with men taking control of women. It’s why the majority of sexual assault cases have female victims, and it’s why women have been at the forefront of the #MeToo movement. It’s why one could easily assume that stressing the need for man’s right to victimhood is simply man trying to take the power and the narrative away from women.
But sexual assault committed by a California Gurl is still sexual assault.
In order to truly combat sexual assault, one must realize that women are on occasion in a position to assault men. Take the men making claims against Perry: a contestant on American Idol or a young celebrity or most recently a male model employed by Perry herself. All found themselves cornered by an assaulter with more star-power or direct authority over them. And that assaulter was a woman. Millions of men have stories like this that they are simply too afraid to tell.
For Kloss, the behavior of his employer turned his Teenage Dream into a Teenage Nightmare. The fact that he was a man doesn’t cure his nightmares. The fact that said employer was a woman doesn’t change that reality.