New Movie with old, uncomfortable theme

I've started and stopped writing this about a dozen times in the last week or so, mostly because I wasn't sure of the direction it would take. Now, however, I find myself with some time and some clarity of thought, though the two do not always occur simultaneously, and the result will, I hope, make some sense.

A new movie has come out in the last week, and I will admit I honestly know nothing about it. I have not seen it, I have not read any reviews, and yet the theme of the film as I understand it is driving me absolutely  nuts. It is the new version of "Red Riding Hood." It is one more film which, at its core, or at least the core of its most popular ads, has the combination of implied violence and sexuality firmly joined together. I thought we had put most of that behind us with the disappearance of the "Twilight" series, but no, we have one more growling, snarling beast and one more innocent maiden sent into a frenzy of sensuality at the touch of its steamy breath. Or at least that's the impression I get from the trailers that have been all over the TV for the past few days.

When the hell is Hollywood going to get the message that there is nothing even slightly sexy about violence directed at women?

With the advent of the Twilight movies and their bloodthirsty hero, emergency rooms all over this country found themselves dealing with ever-increasing numbers of young teens suffering from bite wounds. It seems that the young ladies, in particular, who were all soft and melting over Edward, were talking their boyfriends, or even sleepover buddies, into taking a good chomp to see if the passions would flow. The only thing flowing, sadly, turned out to be the supply of antibiotics needed to avoid serious infections.

What do you know - violent behavior, it turns out, really hurts!

All anyone has to do is ask a member of the female population if they have been the victim of violence, either verbal or physical. When you discover that an incredibly large number of them have, at some, point, been victimized, your next question should be "Gee, was it a turn-on?"

I can guarantee that, if you don't get asked to leave the area immediately, you will get a resounding "NO!" as your answer. There is nothing, I repeat, nothing, sexy about being belittled, humiliated, or battered. In case no one has read the expert opinions in law enforcement, let me fill you in with the facts regarding the ultimate in crimes against women, violent rape. In all of the psychological studies out there, it is not even considered to be about sex, but about power and the creation of helplessness.

It makes me heartsick to see the number of media outlets who still joke about these attacks, and state that "make-up sex" is the best sex of all. Soap operas, for example (and we all know how realistic they are), continually go out of their way to show intense fights between couples, followed by intense coupling. In reality, intense fights are usually followed by hospital visits or nights alone in a hotel or the car, as far away from the partner as one can get. Then they are followed by arrests and the issuance of orders of protection.

I guess the most important point I am trying to make is this: Somehow we continue to raise our daughters to believe that violent behavior is in some way proof that the boy (or man) in our lives really loves us. We are making an enormous mistake in supporting media stories that tie violence and sex together, and letting our girls think that Prince Charming is somehow related to the fire-breathing dragon.

As a long-ago victim of those beliefs, I would like to know when we are going to come to our senses and see these story lines as complete fiction, and not worthy of our attention.