Sex Myth Dispelled


The infamous "rape" never occurred.

The sequence is part of a long scene that includes a post-"rape" sequence in which Viva/Ramona continues acting in character, talking with the sheriff about the rape and possibly losing her ranch to the cowboys.

After the simulated rape, Ramona (Viva) sits up normally, the scene continues, Viva continues acting.

The worst they do is pretend that her legs are spread wide open, and they invite anyone to take advantage of that, but you can clearly see Viva's legs are not actually spread apart - they are closed together and leaning down, and she has her hand between her legs covering her lower extremity.

No man tries to act out a rape on her. One cowboy pretends to place his face on her lower extremity and pretends to be sexually enjoying himself, but you can see he's acting, and he's laughing as he's doing it, his mouth isn't touching anything.

Viva effectively acts as if she is being raped because that is what the scene is about - a woman being raped. The cowboys can't act all, they muck it up and turn the sequence into a romp, which is jarring, because she is seriously acting.

Per many Warhol film critics, it is highly probable that Warhol directed Viva and the cowboys to act that way because he wanted to film an exaggerated scene that mocked real westerns and rape scenes.

If a real rape occurred, she would have remained on the ground, bruised and bloody and immobile. She would not have promptly and calmly sat up to continue acting into the next scene.

The scene really depicted/simulated an attempt at rape, and sexual assault.

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