Horrifying TikTok trend shows men 'fantasising' how they'd kill women
A TikTok trend involving young men detailing how they would kill women has alarmed experts who say the trend is more evidence that Australia has a domestic violence problem.
The horrifying videos involve men — many in their teens — detailing scenarios where they take women on a date and then assault or kill them.
Thousands of videos have been uploaded to the platform amassing hundreds of thousands of likes, bringing to light a concerning trend that reflects on gender inequality and often unsafe presence for women — both on and offline.
The TikTok videos show the imagined situation written over the picture. Usually, they start with an image of themselves, starting with "imagine" before going on to detail the date and how they would kill or injure the woman ending with "and you f**king die".
Although many videos have been taken down by the video sharing app, many remain online and new content is being uploaded daily.
Although it's not confirmed how many videos have been filmed by Australian men, Allan Ball, the director of White Ribbon Australia, said it represents how many men treat women.
"We know as an Australian society, we have got a problem. And that problem, and the solution, sits with young men and with men of Australia," he told Yahoo News.
"Fundamentally, this TikTok trend is reinforcing and emphasising aggression and dispersed respect towards women in the most repugnant way."
Call to action for Australian public
Mr Ball said the attitudes demonstrated in the videos translate into behaviours where women are seen as a subordinate, as a commodity and an object.
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"We weren't shocked," he admitted.
"We know Australian men and boys in particular hold attitudes towards women and girls that are not okay."
Mr Ball said the trend was a reminder of the "great deal" of work Australian men and boys need to do in order to understand the gender drivers of violence.
"[Also] to understand gender equality and to act in a way that's more consistent to what I think Australian men believe they are to be," he said.
there is a trend on tiktok of young men creating scenarios where they violently kill women they go on dates with. do they realize that women fear this every time they go out with men on dates? pic.twitter.com/WgXqNM4yUb
— Héloïse (@belivetsgloves) March 19, 2022
Mr Ball said the trend is also a sign for all members of the public to take action.
"It's a mainstream issue, so it's almost a reflection of the Australian society," he explained.
"So every corporate Australian organisation needs to take accountability for gender equality, needs to take accountability to supporting narratives that promote women's independence to women's rights and women's safety."
1 in 6 women have experienced physical or sexual violence
The 2019 family, domestic and sexual violence in Australia report stated that 1 in 6 (17 per cent or 1.6 million) women and 1 in 16 (6.1 per cent or 548,000) men had experienced physical and/or sexual violence from a current or previous cohabiting partner since the age of 15.
In Australia, 1 in 3 women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15.
Yahoo News Australia has reached out to TikTok for comment.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au
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