Today I saw the trailer for the new American remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I have read the book and found it to use the literary technique of creating a nearly impossible, ideal protagonist who is capable of things the author seems to consider to be the best possible response. For women I have spoken to who are fans of the book they say it can e empowering and brings to light sexual violence against women. Others have critiqued it as endorsing rape in the same breath that it condemns it. In this week's reading there seemed to be a consensus on how women read romance novels, I have had a hard time reaching a similar consensus on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It seems to be empowering but also has many victim-blaming statements. It seems to have gained a lot of popularity based on the fact that it examines sexual assault is great, unabashed detail. To some this is a breath of fresh air, finally silence around the topic is broken in a larger arena than Take Back the Night marches. However, it seems like for survivors of abuse, it gives a negative message: you did not react properly and are therefore weak.
As far as the trailer goes, it has elements that clearly try to make it appeal to women by using the pathos intrinsic in murder and violence against women, while still throwing in implications of lesbian sexual relationships (which for some reason are included in multiple parts of the trailer while only being referenced once or twice in the book) to give it sex appeal that is supposed to attract men. It seems very accurate to the book, however certain elements are obviously overblown in the trailer to attract viewers. The trailer shows the fetishization of lesbians and bisexual women by the excessive inclusion of sexual scenes that are not described in the book beyond a passing mention.
Below, find the link to the trailer. (Trigger Warning: allusion to sexual assault)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrFgnizJ7qY
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