Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

The top grossing movie last week was 50 Shades Freed, the final installment in the sex trilogy which featured the abuse of a young woman at the hands of a handsome billionaire. Movie reviews were harsh. But this was mostly because of poor plot, poor acting and technical details. Interestingly, reviewers didn't condemn the sordid and contemptible messages sent by Hollywood. In the day where sexual harassment and abuse are taking center stage in public conversation, we need to be able to realize that messages have consequences and the message 50 Shades Freed sends is the wrong way to treat women—even if it's consensual. If we're serious about reigning in men who harass and abuse women, we need to get serious about messages that say this is ok in the first place.