Because of the emergence of sexual assault allegations in the entertainment industry, people have begun to question how they should consume art and content. There is absolutely no way to separate the artist from their artwork. Art is a projection of who its creator is and we, as a society, cannot allow ourselves to disconnect the two.

By consuming an artist’s content, we are supporting them financially. When people disregard an artist’s behavior and actions, they are letting them continue to exist in an environment that allowed for their behavior and actions in the first place. These artists sexually assault someone and still maintain their fame and social status. For example, Kodak Black, a famous rapper, was convicted for sexual conduct charges and yet still has 17.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

If someone sexually assaults another person it becomes hard to understand why we are still readily accepting what they produce. Consumers have all the power. Once they decide it is no longer acceptable to consume a person’s content, their career is over. Once numerous allegations of sexual assault and harassment against Harvey Weinstein surfaced, he immediately felt the consequences. According to BBC, Weinstein was terminated from his company, The Weinstein Company, and exiled from the entertainment industry.

We cannot demand change in the entertainment industry while simultaneously ignoring the actions of creators just so we can keep watching out favorite TV shows. Change can only occur if a compromise is made.