I’ve been a fan of Law and Order probably since I came out of the womb. I remember telling people who asked what I wanted to be when I grow up that I wanted to be a homicide detective—I was ten. What ten year old wants to be a homicide detective? I had a serious desire to follow in Jerry Orbach’s footsteps, and later when I was allowed to watch Law and Order: SVU, Mariska Hargitay.
Eleven years later, I still get excited when I go somewhere with cable, flip to TNT, and find out that there’s an SVU marathon going on. It doesn’t matter that I’ve seen all the episodes and already know who’s committed all the crimes. And I’m not watching for Ice T’s good looks and stunning wit (okay, Ice T could be part of the reason why I love SVU). The main reason I love SVU is the show’s leading lady, Mariska Hargitay, aka Olivia Benson.
Because of her work on SVU, Hargitay created the Joyful Heart Foundation, which supports victims of domestic and sexual violence. Before starting her foundation, she said that she would often receive fan mail from people who had suffered abuse, sharing their stories and telling her how her character had helped them.
In the show, Benson acts as an advocate for sexual assault and rape victims. She works to ensure that their stories are heard on the show, and to help and support the victims. When her (predominantly male) colleagues attempt to victim blame, or justify the assaults, Benson looks at them as though she is wondering just how stupid a human person can be. Chalk it up to amazing acting, or actual disbelief that there are people that ignorant on this planet, Benson has it down.
In the show, we see Benson work her way through the ranks in a male-dominated culture. She starts as a detective, becomes sergeant, and is eventually assigned as lieutenant and commanding officer. Benson often becomes emotionally involved in the cases that she investigates, even going so far in more recent seasons to adopt the motherless child of a victim. Benson’s life has been threatened countless times throughout the 17 seasons, and we learn that not only is she a child of rape herself, but that she has also been assaulted.
And yet, she still perseveres. She keeps doing her job, like a badass, and she keeps helping people, and standing up for them, and supporting them. She shows the men around her who’s boss, and she works hard to make sure that her authority is respected, and that no one mansplains anything she already knows.
10 year old me definitely could have had worse role models. 21 year old me could also definitely have worse role models. Olivia Benson, SVU writers, don’t mess this up for me.