The TV show Big Little Lies blurs the lines between consensual sex and sexual abuse in its portrayal of an abusive marriage, highlighting societal complexities around consent and domestic violence.
Author
Devyani Tewari, Assistant Professor of Legal Practice, Jindal Global Law School, O.P. Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India; Faculty of Law, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
Summary
Big Little Lies, a television show, has been applauded for its deft depiction of domestic violence, infidelity, and childrearing, which helps the viewers in obtaining an insight into the societal conception of gender roles vis a vis the familial structure. However, it was reported that many viewers perceived the sex scenes between the two characters of the show, Celeste and Perry Wright, as sexy rather than as abusive, demonstrating a lack of clarity as to which sexual encounters constitute consensual sex and which, if at all, constitute sexual abuse. This chapter explores the blurred lines between consensual sex and sexual abuse in the abusive marriage of Celeste and Perry Wright. Additionally, this chapter demonstrates the intricate relationship between cinema, law, society, and domestic violence. I draw upon feminist and post-structuralist scholarship on the construction of familial structures, patriarchy, consent, domesticity, and sexual violence. This enables me to propose three distinct interpretations of the sexual relationship between Celeste and Perry Wright.
Published in: Sustainable Development Goals Series
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