Nonprofit wants ‘lack of consent’ label on movies and TV with objectionable sex scenes

A nonprofit focused on changing the conversation around sexual consent is calling for a new film and TV “lack of consent” classification to better educate Australians on the topic.

The idea for a new classification sparked when Consent Labs conducted a study of 1000 Aussies between 18 and 44 years of age. They showed participants intimate scenes from movies and shows and asked them to classify what they saw.

Over half (57 percent) of participants weren’t able to decipher which scenes did or did not have non-consensual acts.

“Our research shows that despite Australians having the best intentions to either teach or learn about consent – such as in school or as parents – we’re still seeing it being defined incorrectly,” said Consent Labs’ CEO, co-founder and executive director Angelique Wan.

“While adding a classification to content may seem simple, it’s a powerful addition and can even be used as an education tool.

“From scenes in children’s films where women are kissed while they’re asleep, to rom-coms where men are tied to a bed and their struggle is played for laughs, or scenes that are depicted as romantic, even though the person says ‘no’ again and again.

“These acts are designed to add dramatic effect to a scene but the visualization without warning perpetuates and normalizes lack of consent.”

While some shows depict very obvious sexual violence, plenty of modern film and TV scenes have hit the cultural conversation without people being able to come to a conclusion around it.

The sex scene between Daphne and her Duke in Bridgerton is a great example – the Duke said ‘no’ and Daphne continued.

There was outcry, but many still debated what the scene depicted.

Another example is in The Devil Wears Prada where main character Andy is drunk in Paris and says ‘no’ to the advances of love interest, Christian Thompson, several times – once even saying she was too drunk to make the decision. He persists and eventually gets his way. When that movie first came out, no one batted an eyelid.

While like most classifications, a new “lack of consent” label would be warning audiences about the content they were about to see, but would be unique in that it would also act as an educational tool, tipping viewers off that what they’re about to see is not an acceptable, consensual sexual interaction.

“There’s power in knowing what you’re watching,” said Consent Labs co-founder and executive director Joyce Yu.

“That’s why we classify coarse language, nudity and drug use. And that’s why we must classify lack of consent.”