Honestly, we should be used to the DCEU breaking our hearts at this point—but somehow they keep finding new, innovative ways to crush our spirits (which is sort of an accomplishment, we guess). Whether it’s from laughably bad movies, f*cking killing Steve Trevor (and having the audacity to use him as emotional blackmail for us to see future productions), or the universe’s precarious casting of allegedly problematic men, the DCEU is the cinematic version of those f*ckboys who keep you interested just long enough for them to ghost you. Like John from Delta Kappa Who Gives a Sh*t, DCEU keeps you hooked with vague promises of decent movies and actors who aren’t terrible people, just to break those same vows. (It’s mind games at this point, and it’s exhausting.)
The latest cinematically super-powered f-boy to toy with our movie-loving hearts is the Man of Steel himself: Henry Cavill.
To be fair, Henry Cavill has been toying with our emotions since he debuted as Clark Kent (i.e. Superman, i.e. Kal-El) in 2013—just for different reasons. (Because, well, he’s Superman and who doesn’t love Superman?) After a recent interview with GQ, Cavill said some problematic and misguided things about the #MeToo movement and dating in general, and we’re un-stanning STAT.
The interviewer asked Cavill a conglomeration of questions. Eventually, the interviewer inquired about Cavill’s dating life, to which Cavill noted his opinion on the pre-dating process. “There’s something wonderful about a man chasing a woman. There’s a traditional approach to that, which is nice. I think a woman should be wooed and chased, but maybe I’m old-fashioned for thinking that,” Cavill said. While some women don’t really mind being wooed or chased, or having their attribution to a coupledom whittled down to a pursuit, this commentary divulged into the real cringey bit.
Actor Henry Cavill tells GQ Australia he’s hesitant to date for fear of being ‘called a rapist’ during #MeToo era:
“Then there’s ‘Oh why’d you give up?’ Well, because I didn’t want to go to jail?” pic.twitter.com/eortrVNaVi
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 12, 2018
“It’s very difficult to do that if there are certain rules in place. Because then it’s like: ‘Well, I don’t want to go up and talk to her, because I’m going to be called a rapist or something’. So you’re like, ‘Forget it, I’m going to call an ex-girlfriend instead, and then just go back to a relationship, which never really worked’. But it’s way safer than casting myself into the fires of hell, because I’m someone in the public eye, and if I go and flirt with someone, then who knows what’s going to happen,” Cavill continued.
Don’t worry, Mr. Cavill. There’s a fine art to not being accused of being a rapist: it’s an extensive process of not actually raping or attempting to rape someone. If you follow this guide, you probably won’t be called a rapist by any woman you’re trying to “woo and chase.”
Still, regardless of the platonic or romantic history (or lack thereof), anyone can be subjected to sexual assault. So, Cavill’s blanketed argument that he pursues his exes in an attempt to avoid being accused of rape doesn’t really make sense. And, it indirectly creates an uncomfortable stigma that people in relationships or who’ve slept with each other before can’t be raped, which is absolutely incorrect.
“Now? Now you really can’t pursue someone further than, ‘No’. It’s like, ‘OK, cool’. But then there’s the, ‘Oh why’d you give up?’ And it’s like, ‘Well, because I didn’t want to go to jail,” Cavill added.
Beyond Cavill’s implicit remarks that the #MeToo movement—which is meant to empower women to use their voices to speak out against sexual violence—somehow victimizes innocent, single men who just want to go on dates, Cavill’s comments show that he might be misconstruing #MeToo’s function. After all, the #MeToo movement isn’t meant to make anyone feel like a victim. It aims to empower survivors, influence others to actively listen to their stories and show survivors that we believe their allegations—not to blatantly and wrongfully call someone a “rapist.”
Maybe Cavill is simply misinterpreting the #MeToo movement’s purpose or maybe he’s genuinely afraid that he might be wrongfully accused of sexual assault. If Cavill’s comments are embedded with concern that he could be falsely accused of sexual assault, false sexual assault reports are statistically uncommon. According to The National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women, approximately 2-8 percent of rapes are falsely reported, which is the same percentage for falsely incriminated felonies.
Regardless, Cavill’s comments seem to misconstrue the movement’s mission in a way that directly harms the movement itself—because it makes the survivors of sexual assault seem like the abusers (which puts a new, unnecessary spin on victim-blaming altogether).
TBH, we’re going to take a break from the Man of Steel and hope that he continues to learn about the #MeToo movement, beyond this apparent narrow-minded and self-serving perspective.