*** Content Warning: Discussions of rape culture and potential spoilers ***

So let me start by saying I’m a sex-positive, nontraditional-relationship-style defending, pro-feminist, pro-porn, social-justice and sex-workers’-rights promoting, QUILTBAG-friendly, consent-respecting atheist.  All criticisms will be made from these perspectives.  If you wish to provide feedback on this post, do so through my comment form. Your opinions may or may not be addressed with follow-up posts (since I no longer allow commenting on my blog).

HBO presents this Southern Gothic supernatural horror series mainly from the perspective of Sookie Stackhouse, the Mary Sue to beat all Mary Sues: white, pure, young, Southern, mannerly, family-loving, and indirectly sexual within the established rules of “White Southern Womanhood” (even while seemingly acting outside of those restrictions … only to a point).  Her perspective is presented as the “this-is-how-to-be-a-proper-lady-but-still-be-considered-a-feminist” way to “woman” on the show.  All other deviations from this norm are seen as occasionally acceptable, but basically flawed.  She is, ironically yet easily, the least interesting character on a show presumably devoted to her viewpoint.  Her best friend is Tara Thornton, a takes-no-guff, often “strong black woman” stereotype and occasional Magical Negro who exists mostly in counterpoint to Sookie’s problems.  Her brother, Jason Stackhouse, is a lovably ignorant and horny former high school quarterback and the comic relief of the show.

Although these characterizations are harsh, I’m not criticizing the actors and their performances.  They all do good work on the show and I actually enjoy their artistic choices.  It’s how they are presented and the material they’re given to work with that’s so problematic, especially relating to the dominant sexual ethos in the True Blood universe.

Sookie has the ability to read minds, and that ability most routinely reveals itself in the fact that a large percentage of the male characters find her sexually attractive, even though she doesn’t wish to know this.  Again, the Mary Sue of Mary Sues.  That’s why she initially finds male vampires, werewolves, and shape-shifters so attractive herself: [1] because she can’t read their thoughts (easily or at all) and [2] because they are conventionally attractive.  (Yay heterosexual female gaze equal time!)  If you want to see shirt-less and pants-less hunks, you won’t be disappointed.

But her interest nearly always develops after their expressed interest in her.  It also doesn’t hurt that vampires, both male and female, find her scent and faerie blood irresistible.  Everybody wants Sookie Stackhouse (again, the Mary Sue of Mary Sues).  She is a character that things happen to, not one who makes things happen.  She usually rises to the occasion, but that occasion has to happen first (since she won’t take charge of it at the get go).

Again, even this wouldn’t be such a problem … if it wasn’t for the supremely creepy, consent-irrelevant, and rapey True Blood universe within which “sex” plays out.  Yes, the sexual ethics on this show are spectacularly fucked up.  Vampires can compel their lovers / charges / progeny / slaves to do their bidding.  They can make them also forget events (usually traumatic) as well.  Werewolves and vampires have superior strength and speed compared to humans.  Shape-shifters can appear as other people, even though they usually shift as non-human animals.  Sookie is in part repelled by human men because she can read their sexual thoughts toward her, but the non-human men routinely lie to her and use their powers to manipulate their way into her life.  And because Sookie is routinely reacting to their interest (but rarely making her interest directly known), it makes her consent (although present) highly questionable.  She consistently has to correct and work around their presumptions and boundary violations.

Yes, reader, I get that this is fiction.  I get that vampires have historically been presented as “safe” indirect outlets for constrained straight female sexuality in movies, magazines, and books.  I know about the appeal of the tall, dark, brooding stranger.  I’m not denying or denigrating women who find those characters and all the neck-biting and swooning hot and sexy.  What irks me about True Blood is how the “consent” plays out (indirectly, establishing boundaries after the fact, and the unsubtle denigration of those that act directly yet ethically on their romantic and sexual desires).

There is an out gay character on the show that routinely calls his women friends and colleagues “bitch” and “hooker.”  (Because … casual misogyny and whorephobia is endearing when coming from an oppressed individual?  Oooo-kay, I’ll get back to you on that.)  The people who find vampires attractive and want to partner with them are routinely disparaged as “fang-bangers” (i.e., gang-bangers—Get it?  Snooze.)  Individuals that act outside of proper monogamous etiquette are presented as laughingstocks and joke bait.  Vampires and vampire-lovers co-opt S&M black leather garb and the dominant/submissive relationship style … without explicitly demonstrating any understanding of safewords, soft-to-hard limits, and negotiation common to ethically kinky individuals and communities.  Which, in essence, makes those relationships indistinguishable from abusive ones.

So even despite the abundance of nudity and sex on the show, the vast majority of the “consent” comes off as stunningly unerotic, unsexy and uninspired, laboring as it does underneath the flood of coercion, problematic consent, deception, trickery, harassment, and, occasionally, out-and-out rape.  For instance, one shape-shifting character has “sex” with a woman while appearing to be the brother she actually consented to (rape by deception).  A clan of were-women, under instructions by their leader, take turns raping Jason Stackhouse in order to get pregnant with were-cubs.  One character actually attempts to rape Sookie (explicitly so).  The shape-shifting male bar owner has “sex” … with a subordinate female employee.  One of the head vampires has sex with a vampire he “made”—meaning, in the True Blood universe, he always has the upper hand and can command her actions, although he never explicitly does so.  Although she “consents,” he refers to her as “sister” and she refers to him as “brother.”  (Because incest play that hasn’t been negotiated is … hot or something?  Ew.  Just ew.)

So the majority of the “hot” sex on the show is borderline if not outright rape and coercion.  The one character we’re supposed to be rooting for, even when she does have the sex she clearly wants, seems to be attempting to prove (to the unseen viewing audience) that she’s not a prude (which makes those consensual encounters strangely unsexy).  A teenage vampire, made so against her will by her maker, chafes at her former father’s religious restrictions by dressing sexy and having relationships outside of his control.  This is presented as an unexpected opportunity to demonstrate her independence … all while under the rules and regulations of her new vampire “father” and community.  Out of the fundamentalist Christian frying pan and into the “fundie” vampire fire.  Her first boyfriend (also a virgin) attempts to squelch her burgeoning, nonmonogamous sexuality, too.  A Dionysian goddess manipulates her underlings into participating in orgies they don’t consciously consent to or remember.  When vampire rights are curtailed in Bon Temps, Louisiana, many are taken away to camps.  Some vampire sexual habits are “studied” by “scientists” (in other words, they’re forced to sexually perform for their captors).

The one character we’re clearly meant to laugh at (not that educated but sexually attractive and charming) is Jason Stackhouse.  However, he’s the one character that clearly demonstrates a thorough and complete understanding of sexual consent and respect (especially for women).  He has an ongoing sexual relationship with a woman who’s clearly into him as much as he’s into her.  They are mutually not monogamous, which isn’t an actual problem, expect for the fact that she’s sees him as mentally and socially inferior to herself.  (Because contempt is hot?  Again, … okay True Blood, I’ll get back to you on that one, as well.)  It doesn’t help that she’s killed off shortly after their liaisons, because an unabashedly sexual woman that doesn’t play by societal rules cannot live.  Hello, every horror movie trope ever.  There is a minor character (Randi Sue) who is clearly, clearly “lookin’ for love” (if you get my drift … and I think that you do).  She comes into the bar dancing and flirting.  Jason’s best friend Hoyt attempts to flirt with her.  She flirts back and propositions him.  He finds her directness intimidating and backs off.  Later we find Jason and Randi unapologetically having wild sex in the alley behind the bar.  To me, this is the hottest sex scene in the show, firstly because the characters are clearly into what they’re doing and they couldn’t care less about propriety or proper behavior.  They’re both made the target of a character’s disapproval and a plot punchline … because of course they are (a sexually confident, lower-class, and direct woman + an equally sexually confident, lower-class, and direct man = comic relief).  No, you can’t claim his drug use in the scene is out of character or is a tool to coerce a woman.  It’s completely in keeping with his horn-dog ways as the drug use is meant to enhance his experience (he doesn’t offer her the drug).  There is another encounter they have where she is on top of him facing away in reverse cowgirl position and clearly getting off.  This scene remains hot and is one step beneath the previous one in hotness only because we cut to his face and see him silently crying and conflicted about what he is doing (because of course he can’t simply enjoy the experience … True Blood has to show he’s struggling to be “better than that”—yawn.)

I would have no problem with the series depicting any of what I mentioned as long as they balanced all of that with diverse portrayals of relationship styles and consent that aren’t sexual but troubled, sexual with a caveat, sexually problematic, and sexual with an asterisk.  Try to imagine Sookie Stackhouse as a goofy but fun-loving sexual adventurer in her own right without slut-shaming (because the show certainly can’t).

So even though the series wants to sell the sexual angle, the context within which any sex actually takes place is weirdly conservative, disapproving, straight-laced, moralizing, and so very rapey.  I will give the show credit for portraying two of their black characters as fully realized, non-heterosexual individuals.  But, as always, those characters and those relationships don’t get as much airtime and attention as the straight white ones.