Refinery29 has partnered with TNT to create an anthology series of short films written and directed by women called the “Shatterbox Anthology.” Their latest installment, Pinky, written and directed by Roja Gashtili and Julia Lerman, takes off the rose-colored glasses of our middle-school memories and gives us a closer look at the dark power dynamics that young girls’ friendships can possess. The film showcases the line young girls toe as they are plunged into early adulthood. Sometimes, girls get there on their own, and other times, there are pressures from others that push them past that line.
The film starts with a group of suburban girls having a normal Saturday afternoon together. The lighting is hazy and pastel, reminiscent of a dream or memory. It triggers something in our minds about lazy afternoons spent with our friends, talking about boys or listening to music. The tone quickly turns dark and uncomfortable when the shyest girl of the group, Cecelia, refuses to put in a tampon, and the girls of the group eventually force her to do it. The scene is shocking and leaves an uneasy feeling in our stomach. Pinky raises the question of consent. It raises the question of bullying — and it brings to attention how we deal with these problems.
When girls, or anyone, force others to do something they don’t want to, then yes, this is a form of assault. This concept shown in Pinky is widely overlooked, because it isn’t seen as a textbook definition of sexual assault. The reality is that forcing someone to put in a tampon, or any kind of physical, unwanted behavior, is sexual assault. Just because it happened between a group of girls, that doesn’t make it less traumatic. But, because we aren’t taught about this kind of abuse in school, it can be hard for a survivor to ask for help.
Pinky showcases group pressures and how powerplays within groups can cause problems. Girls call each other “sluts” or “bitches,” and when we start to pressure girls to do something they aren’t ready for, we aren’t helping each other to be bolder; we are making a girl lose a part of herself she may not be ready to lose yet. Pinky shows us that we must start addressing these issues of bullying and assault more. We need to do a better job of teaching young girls to see what emotional and physical abuses really are and how to deal with it.
Our generation grew up on Mean Girls, so we know who the typical mean girl is. But what happens when she was your best friend since childhood? We make excuses for her because she’s just growing up. What happens when she’s the girl you’ve always looked up to, and she’s finally accepting you as a part of the group? You make more excuses like “she’s just used to being in charge.” The thing we have to remember is that the most powerful girls are not the ones who can force other girls to do things they aren’t comfortable with.
The most powerful girls are the ones who stand up against what’s wrong. They’re the girls who are encouraging and empowering other girls to be exactly who they want to be.