Comedian Tracey Ullman cleverly showcases the absurdities women encounter when they come forward about sexual assault. In a standout episode of her BBC One series, Tracey Ullman’s Show, titled “Mugged,” she employs humor to shine a light on the baffling double standards that plague victims of these crimes.
The sketch opens with a sharply dressed man recounting his harrowing mugging experience, where he was threatened at knifepoint for his watch and phone. Ullman, in her signature comedic style, questions his wardrobe choice, suggesting he looks “provocatively wealthy.” Her absurd interrogation continues, even bringing in a counselor who implies that the victim should have made his intentions clearer. “You didn’t even scream?” the counselor asks, dismissively cutting off the man’s explanation of the danger he faced.
This comedic take is rooted in reality: one in six American women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, according to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network. Alarmingly, 63 percent of such incidents go unreported. The reasons behind a woman’s hesitance to report an assault are as varied as the experiences themselves. In October, a campaign by journalist Emily Lane on Twitter, #WhyWomenDontReport, revealed that many women fear they won’t be believed if no one witnessed the event. Even when cases do make it to court, the outcomes can sometimes be as traumatic as the initial crime.
In the sketch, Ullman cleverly states, “I’m afraid you are going to have to accept some of the responsibility for this,” a statement that resonates with countless women who have faced similar victim-blaming attitudes when reporting assaults.
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In summary, Ullman’s sketch not only uses humor to address the serious issue of victim-blaming but also provides a stark reminder of the challenges faced by those who have experienced sexual assault.