Lady Gaga (Photo : YouTube)
It is everyone's responsibility to the youth of the land to stand up against sexual violence, says Lady Gaga in a new video that segues to a campus rape documentary.
Titled "The Hunting Ground," the docu has a music video in which Lady Gaga makes a statement by no appearing in the video, released on Friday midnight. Instead, it has scenes where women struggle against their attackers, reports Herald Current.
Catherine Hardwicke, the director of "Thirteen" in 2003 and "Twilight" in 2008, wrote and shot the video, titled "Til It Happens To You," according to Billboard. Sexual assault in campuses, which usually happen during off-school parties and Greek-letter society events, is a "disturbing reality" that many students, both male and female, face daily on college campuses.
In the video, some of the women victims show the pain of being raped such as writing "I am worthless" on her arm and "Sometimes I hate myself" on her back.
Beyond singing the song, Lady Gaga promised that part of the income that the sales from the music video would go to organizations that assist rape and sexual assault victims.
Herald Current notes that the video is initially hard to view, but by using a diverse cast who appear as honest images, Hardwicke maintains a hopeful tone. The 5-minute, 25-second black-and-white has become viral with 4.6 million hits in two days.
To further promote the video and the docu, Lady Gaga tweeted, "We hope u feel our love & solidarity through the song & perhaps find some peace in knowing u r not alone through this film#TilItHappensToYou."
The video serves as trailer for the docu. As "Til It Happens To You" ends, it segues to the docu about campus rape with a caption that reads: "One in five college will be sexually assaulted this year unless something changes," quotes Ledge Gazette. The docu was an official entry to the Sundance Film Festival.
