4 ways pop culture fuels human trafficking
Humans should not be sold.
And yet, they are being exploited for profit in one of the world’s fastest-growing criminal industries — human trafficking. This modern form of slavery generates $150 billion a year, and affects every single country in the world.
With reports of human trafficking on the rise, it begs the question: why? The simplest answer: because there is rising demand, demand for the sale of people. But to understand the full picture, we need to take a closer look at the culture that produces abusers and prepares people to be victimized. Here are just four of the ways mass media feeds the cycle of trafficking.
Casual misogyny — tuning in to objectification
Imagine spending two to four hours a day listening to someone call you derogatory names, refer to you in sexual slurs and tell you that your purpose in life is to perform sexual acts. That’s insane. But kids and young adults do it every day when they listen to popular music.
More than 1 out of 3 popular songs contain explicit sexual content, and most of these references are degrading, according to one study. What’s the big deal? It’s just music, right? Well, people who listen to misogynistic music — which diminishes women to objects for ownership, use or abuse — are more likely to be sexually violent. Plus teens exposed to more degrading sexual references in music are more likely to have sex earlier, says research.
There’s more. “One of the most devastating effects of buying into the representation by the mass media of women as sexual objects is that women can learn that their self-worth lies within sex and remaining constantly sexually available to men and boys,” say Dr. Jessica Taylor in a recent report. “This can lead to women and girls judging and blaming themselves using common rape myths for why they were raped — or not even realizing that their sexual encounter was non-consensual, forced or exploitative.”
In one analysis of rap and hip hop, 76% of songs reviewed contained misogynistic lyrics. “When lyrics contain these ideals it further supports the notion that these behaviors and attitudes towards both women and men are accepted by our society,” explains study author Kayla Gray in the report. “By continuing the usage of misogynistic themes in artist’s lyrics, not only is the music industry silently supporting rape culture, but they are reinforcing these ideals repeatedly.”
Sexually aggressive behavior is run-of-the-mill in popular music. Artists also sing about manipulation tactics to get women to have sex with them, or paying people with money or objects for keeping them sexually satisfied. This music teaches boys that being masculine means being disrespectful, manipulative and aggressive. It teaches girls that they’re only good for sex and abuse. And it teaches both that these actions are not only normal but have no consequences. No wonder human trafficking is on the rise.
Meaningless hookups — undercutting the purpose of sex
There’s nothing that epitomizes hookup culture more than some of the most popular dating apps, where a first message between users might be, “I have 10 minutes, are you available?” Honestly, though, it doesn’t matter if you’ve used these apps or not, if you’ve had this kind of interaction or not. You know somebody who has, you’ve read about it in books, or you’ve seen it on TV. Hookup culture is everywhere.
A hookup is defined as a sexual act with no commitment. And therein lies the problem. The purpose of sex is emotional intimacy. Sex makes you emotionally vulnerable. But without commitment, it’s emotionally unsafe. The commitment of looking out for the other person. The commitment of empathy. The commitment of selflessness. These things create emotional intimacy. Without it, sex is for personal pleasure, and personal pleasure only.
That reduces sex to a meaningless act. Separating emotions from sex, hookups require no responsibility and no empathy. What also requires no responsibility and no empathy? Sex trafficking.
Hookups communicate that people have no value beyond the pleasure of the body. Which seems to be the motto of traffickers. Those who believe a person’s value doesn’t go beyond appearance and usefulness will treat others with no respect, even going as far as selling them.
Normalized porn — turning people into products
“Friends” is one of the most popular TV shows of all time. Yet in episode after episode, the characters celebrate and advocate porn, even buying it for each other and binge-watching it when they accidentally stumbled across it on TV. What viewers are led to believe is that watching pornography is a harmless, normal part of life — no big deal. They couldn’t be more wrong.
Porn often contains physical violence and verbal aggression, while most of the victims in porn respond in a neutral or positive way. When the brain links arousal with violence and aggression, it connects sexual behavior with the two as well. In addition to the obvious, that can make watchers less compassionate toward victims who have been exploited. Plus, the submissive responses in porn imply that people enjoy being abused.
That’s especially alarming considering that the majority of kids have stumbled across porn by the ages of 11 to 13. When young people see these depictions, they learn to associate sex with abuse and aggression, and pain and submission. Like those exposed to hookup culture, they learn to see pleasure as the purpose of sex as opposed to intimacy.
Porn turns people into consumers of sex. It creates a desire to buy, objectify and recreate what is viewed. That can mean mistreating a spouse or partner, or turning to trafficking. You read right — pornography can actually increase the demand for sex trafficking. What’s more, the people portrayed in the videos are often human trafficking victims themselves. And since viewers can’t distinguish between trafficked individuals and performers, their clicks and downloads keep demand high.
Romanticized sexual abuse — setting the stage for rape culture
These days, you don’t have to go to porn sites to get a dangerous dose of sexual violence. In the hit movie on Netflix called “365 Days,” for example, a woman is kidnapped and imprisoned by a man who hopes to become her lover. Critics condemned the physical, sexual and emotional abuse depicted in the movie, and yet, it was so popular that the streaming site released a sequel. Then another.
That’s just a drop in the ocean of popular books, shows and movies that involve a romantic lead whose seduction strategy actually involves harassment, and sometimes even rape. Sexual assault is glamorized when the aggressive heroes of shows like “Gossip Girl,” “The Vampire Diaries” and “Game of Thrones” are rewarded by getting the girl, money, power and praise. It’s easy to see how this might encourage potential abusers to follow suit.
These kinds of toxic relationships normalize coercion, instructing people that they should be flattered when they are violated. If repeated violations of boundaries are an acceptable way to woo a person, then human trafficking is not far off. But make no mistake — sexual violence is not romantic. It is not attractive. It multiplies hurt, and it leaves a legacy of destruction.
What you can do to stop the cycle
We can’t overturn human trafficking overnight. But we can refuse to participate in the culture that creates demand. Here are some ideas on how you can take action today.
Evaluate your entertainment. How are the things you consume and the mindsets you’re exposed to contributing to the problem? Don’t take it lightly. Really consider the messages in mass media.
Don’t be silent. When appropriate, lovingly challenge mindsets that fuel human trafficking. You could also become an anti-trafficking ambassador on social media. One easy way to get the conversation started is to share this post.
Take a stand. Boycott movies, books and other forms of entertainment that objectify women and men. Support legislation that increases protections for victims and raises penalties for traffickers.
Talk to loved ones. Almost everyone is exposed to harmful content on a daily basis. Explain to your kids that what you give your attention to will affect every part of your life. Check our our family resources here.
Support orgs that fight trafficking. Love what an organization is doing to protect the dignity of people everywhere? Donate. (Check out our mission to learn how your donation helps us carry out our strategy for combatting exploitation).