Violence against women is one of the most prevalent themes of the pop culture as shown by the media. American TV dramas, sitcoms and series discuss emotional and physical abuse that women have to endure because of their irrational, violent, manipulative, abusive and unstable husbands. The Hollywood big screen also displays domestic abuse as several movies tackle the hardships of a woman with their abusive husbands. A great example of this movie is “Sleeping with the Devil” which chronicles the miserable life of a poor woman who is unhappy with her marriage to a wealthy man. Thus, when she attempts to escape their marriage, her husband tries to kill her. “Dead by Sunset” is another film that shows how a manipulative husband resorts to murdering his wife in order to gain full custody of their kids.
Aside from America’s family television shows, the music industry also tackles domestic violence and the many ways on how a woman handles such struggle. Additionally, today’s hit songs also present domestic violence from a man’s perspective. For instance, Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie” together with Rihanna features the voices of a husband and his wife who talk about their destructive relationship. On the chorus the male voice says “If she ever tries to fucking leave againIm'a tie her to the bed and set this house on fire” and “I laid hands on her, I'll never stoop so low again.” (Eminem 2010) The female voice repeats her response throughout the song and ironically tells the man that she likes the way it hurts. This reply shows the passive attitude of women towards domestic violence.
Reference
Eminem and Rihanna. (2010) Love the Way You Lie. Retrieved from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eminem/lovethewayyoulie.html
