Caitlin Roper
@caitlin_roper
Feminist activist, author + Campaigns Manager at @CollectiveShout. Julie Bindel once told me I have gorgeous hair. Tweets my own.
“Safe”, “shaming”, “consenting adults”: Responding to myths about sexual strangulation collectiveshout.org/responding-to-…
You don’t have to like it. But if you’re going to oppose it, find a new argument. 🧵/end.
We won’t be lectured on exploitation by grown adults defending sexual torture simulator games. We expose exploitation. We oppose sexual harm. We stand with women and girls.
FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK: Cuties made people uncomfortable because it exposed a culture that grooms girls and normalises their abuse. The 'games' we're calling out are part of the pipeline to real-world violence against women and girls.
Yes, parts of Cuties raised concern. As @MelTankardReist wrote: “A few minutes of inappropriate, ethically problematic filming buried the broader, urgent message...” We don’t ignore those issues. But we also don’t let them distract from the film’s truth.
4. This film made people uncomfortable. Good. If you think the solution is to ban a film that made you squirm, but you’ll go to war over your “right” to play rape games, you’ve [again] missed the point entirely.
3. The same people attacking us now are defending games that literally allow players to simulate rape, incest and child abuse. Make that make sense. We campaign against this content because it contributes to the very culture Cuties critiques.
2. The film shows how girls are bombarded with hyper-sexualised messages. From billboards to YouTube, from lingerie ads to gaming avatars, girls are taught that their bodies are commodities. That’s not fiction, it’s reality. And the consequences are devastating.
1. Cuties depicts the sexualisation of girls - but it doesn’t promote it. It holds up a mirror to a culture that grooms girls to believe their value is in how “sexy” they appear. That’s the same culture behind the games, ads and music videos we’ve spent 15+ yrs calling out.
Gamers are dredging up our support of Netflix film 'Cuties' in an attempt to paint us as “pro-exploitation”. As usual, they’ve missed the point - or ignored it on purpose. For those who didn't get past the headline, here's what we actually said 🧵/
OnlyFans profits from image-based abuse Reuters report includes the accounts of women who reported that intimate videos were sold on OnlyFans without their knowledge or consent, most often by a former male partner. Some were also shared on social media to promote the paid…
To summarise and for our own records, Savvy’s big “exposes” - apparently intended to intimidate and silence us while riling up a gaggle of rabid followers melting down after losing access to r^pe-inc3st-and-CSAM “games” - consist of: - False accusations of p3dophilia + defense…
you have maybe 100s of people, vs the 1000s more pushing back because you want to chase fiction and text while defending CUTIES of all things. You want to tell women what to do, how to think, what to wear, and what to consume. You actively work against women like me, tell us…
Homelessness has risen to the "worst levels in living memory" in the first term of the Albanese government, advocacy groups warn, as the government grapples with advice that housing targets will not be met. ab.co/3IDfjha
Not "victimless": How ‘virtual’ child sexual abuse material harms children Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) refers to images and videos where children are sexually abused and exploited. It is the photographic or video record of the rape, sexual abuse and torture of children…
Steam started removing r*pe and incest-themed games after our open letter. A win for women and girls. Now the backlash has hit - threats, abuse, smear videos. All to defend games that glorify sexual violence. Read more: collectiveshout.org/gamers-threats…
How sexualisation and objectification contribute to men’s violence against women Sexual objectification is at the foundation of men’s violence against women. Media that depicts women as sexual objects may directly influence men’s attitudes towards them, by portraying them as…
I note all that these men sending vile threats never seem to input their real email addresses. They’re happy to say the most disgusting things whilst hiding behind their keyboards but never show us their face. So cowardly.
You are morally bankrupt and destroying civilization! How dare you say gamers getting off on the sexual torture of women & kids makes us violent? Also in my inbox this morning: