In a video that titled “Smoke” created by Tom Smith was about a same-sex Lesbian couple where one of the women in the relationship was being abused by her partner. Both women in the relationship were what societal standards would deem as “Feminine” not falling into the heteronormative stereotypes that depict domestic violence occurs from only men or those that assume a “masculine” role in a relationship when in reality this is not something that is always true. This video portrays the type of domestic abuse that is more common but society thinks that is actually less common. You have one person (the abuser) who financially supports the victim and dictates what she is allowed to do and the dynamics to their relationship. The victim is also dependent on the abuser to fulfill her attention needs.
Domestic abuse is common in some relationships because the abuser or the victim have been a part of that lifestyle since they were kids and it is seen as something that is normal. In this video the abuser is also shown to have a drinking problem causing her aggression towards her partner to become extremely violent. There is shouting, grabbing, hitting, and degradation. The aggressive partner demands things from her partner and puts her down to feel as though what is happening is her fault and that the reason she is at fault and the abuse is justified. Once Molly opens up about her abuse to her brother she fears leaving her partner and that because she loves her she cannot leave her. These are common characteristics that come about in relationships experiencing domestic violence. Ashley blames her aggression on her parents and her drinking and in turn you can see that she is the one in the relationship that is the most dependent between the two, and this dependency turn into fear of losing control in the relationship. Ashley says to Charlie “I can change, you can’t take Molly away from me” seeing as Molly is property being taken away from her and this results in her begging and pleading with both Charlie and Molly that she will change out of fear of losing her. (Smoke)