Zara McDermott - uncovering rape culture
Recent news stories about violence against young women and girls have sparked a national outcry about rape culture in Britain. Zara McDermott wants to bring about change.
Zara McDermott is a successful fashion model who found fame on Love Island in 2018. She has millions of followers on social media and travels the world working on glamorous photo shoots. In recent years, though, Zara has been on a very personal journey. When she was 21, a schoolboy tried to sexually assault her. Zara is now looking into sexism and 鈥榬ape culture鈥� in Britain. The assault left her with many unanswered questions. Why did it happen? Why did he think he could do it? And where did he learn that? Speaking to her friends, it quickly became clear that they all had their own stories - and many believe the problem starts at school.
In Spring 2021, the website Everyone鈥檚 Invited was flooded with thousands of anonymous testimonies from schoolgirls sharing stories of sexual assault and harassment. An emergency Ofsted report said that rape culture has been raging unchecked in our schools and that urgent action is needed to tackle it.
For 5 Minutes On, Zara speaks to young women, girls and boys about their experience of rape culture to understand first-hand how these toxic behaviours happen, and what can be done to bring about change.
麻豆社 / Summer Films - Photographer : Slater King
