Jessica Jones Case Study

Jessica Jones: Representations of Sexual Assault and Abuse

According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey administered by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking are widespread in the United States (NISVS, 2015). According to the study, “Sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence are public health problems known to have a negative impact on millions of persons in the United States each year, not only by way of immediate harm but also through negative long-term health impacts (NISVS, 2015) Another key finding of this survey was that women are disproportionately impacted and that they experience “high rates of severe IPV (intimate partner violence),

Since culture does not happen in a vacuum, when the topics of sexual assault and IPV are represented in media, they are often represented in inaccurate and exploitive ways; that not only negatively impact sexual assault and IPV survivors but the culture as a whole. This is why it is important to critically analyze media and its representation, because it does have an effect on reality and the culture it is contributing to. On November 20, 2015 Netflix released the first season of Jessica Jones, a web television series set in the Marvel Universe that deals with issues of sexual assault and abuse in a different way than other media. The series is written by Melissa Rosenberg and stars Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, Jessica is an ex-superhero with the ability of super strength, who opens a private detective agency, Alias Investigations, in New York City. (Rosenberg,

The shows main character Jessica is a survivor of sexual assault and abuse, a fact that is never danced around and is made very clear that this is something she deals with every day. The shows main antagonist, Kilgrave is Jessica’s abuser and has the ability to manipulate people or in other words mind control. His powers are a metaphor for abuse and sexual assault. When he uses his power he has complete control and when you strip away the super natural parts of the show, it still shows how systems of abuse operate. Jessica is constantly looking over her shoulders, on guard, and does not trust others along with PTSD. One thing this series does differently is that it conveys the horror of Jessica’s past and abuse without ever depicting it. By doing this, it avoids sensationalizing and exploiting sexual assault and actually acknowledges that the trauma leaves a lasting impact on