Taylor Swift’s $1 Sexual Assault Win: Does it Help?

One dollar. One measly little dollar. If you had a dollar, you could probably buy a soda or a granola bar. But for Taylor Swift, that measly one dollar represents validation of her claims of sexual assault. It also represents hope for victims of sexual assault everywhere. Hope that their voices may be heard.

However, I’d say her legal victory equals a qualified success, at best. Meaning, not a landslide, slam dunk hurrah for victims of sexual assault. Not a marker that victims will suddenly be taken seriously, no longer victimized a second time in the courtroom, or get guaranteed vindication for the crimes carried out against them. Here’s the story:

The Background

On Monday, August 14th, a jury sided with Taylor Swift in her countersuit against former DJ David Mueller. The awarded her a symbolic $1.The lawsuit stemmed from a June 2, 2013 incident where Mueller groped Swift during a photo shoot. (I refuse to say “allegedly groped,” because the jury already returned it’s verdict in her favor.) Mueller sued Swift, claiming that she and her mother wrongfully got him fired. (Swift’s mother complained to the station manager about the incident.) Her $1 countersuit stood in stark contrast to Mueller’s $3 million suit.

The Sexual Assault Incident

During his opening statement, Mueller’s attorney denied that his client groped Swift. As “proof,” he noted that Swift was smiling in the picture that Swift entered into evidence. In other words, if she felt distraught because of inappropriate physical contact, why was she smiling?

Well, duh! She’s at a fan meet-and-greet. People are everywhere. What was she supposed to do – slap his hand away in front of photographers, agents, and other people who could significantly impact her career? Yell, “Stop touching my ass, you pervert!” in front of her mother?

Sure, she could have. Critics would say she should have. But women are conditioned to be submissive. To “go with the flow” and not make waves. (Read more about how women learn to be submissive in this article.) Swift did what she was “supposed” to do – keep up the faςade. Don’t make a scene. Maintain the status quo at all costs.

So she kept smiling, even as she leaned as far away as possible from Mueller and the offending ass-grab.

She allowed the meet-and-greet to continue. But Swift did not stay silent forever. She immediately reported the incident to security, who escorted Mueller from the building. Swift’s immediate response to the incident, according to her lawyer, and the fact that she was already wealthy and had “nothing to gain” from making a claim of sexual assault, lent credibility to her claim. And therein lies the problem.

The Problem

You see, most victims of sexual assault are not wealthy, famous, or powerful. They are you and me. They are one in three women around you. (Some studies say more than 70% of women.) And if they file a suit and ask for monetary damages to cover costs of therapy, missed work, and other trauma-related issues, people judge them as “having an agenda.” As having a motive to make up a story.

This fault lies with the judicial system, not with Swift. It lies with society as a whole and the way we view sexual assault. Swift, with her unwavering commitment to the truth while under oath, serves as an inspiration and model for us all. She refused to be badgered or intimidated by Mueller’s lawyers.

For instance, Mueller’s lawyer asked Swift why the front of her skirt was not lifted up if, indeed, his client’s hand grabbed her rear end. Swift replied, “Because my ass is located in the back of my body.” (source) He also tried to pin the blame on Swift (for not taking a break from the photo shoot if she was so uncomfortable, for instance). But Swift reminded him that Mueller actually committed a crime, not her.

What we can learn from Taylor Swift

So I applaud Taylor Swift in her gutsy determination and refusal to be portrayed as a victim. Or, worse, the offender. She refused to take blame for the situation. She refused to feel guilt over the fact that Mueller lost his job. Instead, she told Mueller’s lawyer, “I am not going to allow your client to make me feel like it is in any way my fault because it isn’t.” We can learn a lot from that, ladies.

We could also all take a lesson from her testimony in general about how to handle ourselves if we’re ever in the courtroom under similar circumstances. And I applaud her desire to take a stand and to donate money to people who don’t have her financial resources to fight these injustices in court.

We can also learn how to set clear boundaries with our bodies (and minds). And how to enforce those boundaries without wavering or apologizing. (Read this post to learn why that is hard for many women.)

Why many women won’t get the justice Swift did

Swift’s courtroom win, while certainly a step in the right direction, is hardly a hands-down victory “for all women.” Many women will never get the justice that Swift enjoyed.

For one thing, Swift’s fame and fortune certainly helped her secure this victory. She could afford top-notch lawyers to argue her case. And you can’t ignore the importance of her influence within the music industry. Most women simply don’t have the financial (or social status) resources to fight and win such a battle.

And unfortunately, most women lack Swift’s unwavering confidence. Most women doubt themselves too much to reply in the gutsy way she stood her ground. They lack the confidence – and the practice – to speak so boldly and unapolgetically in the face of criticism. (To learn how to develop this type of confidence, click here.) We’re taught exactly the opposite, in fact.

Also, while Swift’s lawyer characterized her as a woman with “nothing to gain” from bringing charges of sexual assault, most women have “everything to lose” by doing so. Despite studies showing that one in three women face sexual assault at work, making such a claim puts a woman’s career in jeopardy. (Source: Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office) Even if they “win” their case, they lose the battle of public opinion. They become a pariah in the workplace. An outcast whom no one dares to work with lest she make similar charges against them. And she can forget promotions and advancement opportunities.

Well, I’ll take Taylor Swift’s stance, and claim that, if men would stop sexually assaulting and harassing women, women would stop making claims. Am I right?

Let me know what you think about Taylor Swift’s case in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you think!

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