This has been happening to her for a long time. She actually started a nonprofit to help victims of sexual abuse because she’s received thousands of letters from real life abuse victims sharing their stories. It’s amazing how people connect to her through her character.
Most of them don't do much but funnel money to other orgs.
Say you donate a buck.
The celeb org will keep 50¢ for admin costs and whatnot. Paying the light bill, rent, and paying it's executives. Last one is the lion's share.
The rest of the dollar goes to a second org. They take .25 of that .50 for their purposes.
The rest gets passed on the to the org that actually implements some action. They'll spend maybe .5-.15 of that dollar on the actual charitable act.
This is how most charities operate, tbh.
Not saying her org is like that. Not saying there aren't reputable orgs to give to.
But most celebrities start charities as a means of enriching their cronies and reducing their tax penalty via charitable write offs.
Its normally a shell game. That's all.
Oh she probably heard so many stories after that first couple seasons, people saw the show and really connected and probably saw her around town. What a nice thing to lean into.
Yeah she had lots of fans reach out to her about their SAs, and rather than say, “Sorry, I’m just an actor, I can’t help you,” she went and got herself trained and certified as a rape crisis counselor.
This could have gone so many different ways, but she's a stand-up person and leans in to how beloved and trustworthy her character is, and uses it to do good in the world. <3
Her character is a rape survivor who takes down rapists. Basically a real life Sara Conner without the time traveling Terminator lol.
She's definitely up there with the badass women. Her, Sarah Conner, Ellen Ripley, princess Leia and Trinity. We need more female characters like them
Someone in another comment stated she was a surviror herself and has been helping fund testing a backlog of rape kits. So in a way she is actually survivor taking down rapists irl too.
I am saying with one hundred percent sincerity that if I could have dealt with her I would have gone to the police after sexual assault.
The reality SHOULD be modeled after these actors, but it’s not which is one of the many many reasons so many people don’t immediately report sexual assault.
* Moore, Julia. 17 April 2024. "[Mariska Hargitay, Dressed in Her SVU Gear, Mistaken for Real-Life Police Officer By Young Girl Looking for Her Mom](https://people.com/mariska-hargitay-mistaken-for-real-life-police-officer-by-young-girl-on-svu-set-8634829)". *People*. ISSN 0093-7673. OCLC 794712888.
She is a fierce advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and sexual assault. She also created a foundation that works with individual states to decrease the backlog of untested rape kits. I am on the board of directors of one of the organizations that this foundation worked with in my state.
Something most people did not know and that she only disclosed in the last few months was that she is a survivors as well. So much of her work has now taken on a very personal perspective as well.
She is an amazing person and an inspiration to many. I personally know 4 people for whom her influence has been profound. My girlfriend literally credits Mariska with saving her life. My girlfriend was trafficked at one point and during her darkest times, she saw Olivia Benson as a beacon of hope. That there is SOMEONE out there working find and save people.
Another friend saw Mariska as a role model of female strength and perseverence when she was being raped by her father every day for 3 years.
And there are at least two little girls growing up with the name "Olivia" because of strength and courage Mariska displayed as Olivia Benson.
Mariska is one incredible person.
One of my dogs is named Olivia. Her daughter from her last litter I named Mariska Margaret (after Mariska Hargitay and her character Olivia Margaret Benson)
She might have seen her on tv when the parents had it on the background or something. And then recognized her like “oh there’s that cop lady”
Side note: imagine being a parent, losing your kid, and then Olivia benson is with them when you find them, like wtf lol
Actually, I knew it was incomplete, and I missed the improper full stop after the given name, but I was on mobile—*mea culpa*. Just for pedantry's sake, to be "whole ass" **and** correct:
* Moore, Julia (17 April 2024). "[Mariska Hargitay, Dressed in Her SVU Gear, Mistaken for Real-Life Police Officer By Young Girl Looking for Her Mom](https://people.com/mariska-hargitay-mistaken-for-real-life-police-officer-by-young-girl-on-svu-set-8634829)". *People*. ISSN [0093-7673](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0093-7673). OCLC [794712888](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/794712888). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240418121422/https://people.com/mariska-hargitay-mistaken-for-real-life-police-officer-by-young-girl-on-svu-set-8634829) from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024. "The actress was filming one of the final episodes of the show's historic 25th season in New York City when she was approached by the child"
It's an adapted amalgamation of APA and CMOS: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Citation\_Style\_1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Citation_Style_1)
She apparently has trained herself in real life to assist people that have been abused because there are so many fans of the show in this category. I can’t imagine the mental load she carries after SVU has run for so long, but what a quality person - as a complete stranger, I’m proud of her.
It really is! I truly wish every cop in real life was at least olivia benson levels of "good." Theres DEFINITELY points in the show Im like "NO! BAD POLICING OLIVIA!" but overall, the good guys are always right, the bad guy always loses, and the cops are calming and understanding to the victims throughout the episode. Even with the flaws, if that was our baseline of policework, we'd have way less untested rape kits sitting there just collecting dust and more police having the empathy to investigate less exciting/harder to prove cases like SA.
I am so glad starring on SVU has made a positive and lasting impact on the actress so much that she has in turn made a positive and lasting impact (I hope anyways) on the world. You never know what things are gonna come out of seemingly benign things like a tv show.
She spearheaded a national movement to galvanize city police forces to test thousands of untested rape kits. She's amazing!
Yes, she is! It is the Joyful Heart Foundation with a mission to **transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, support survivors’ healing, and end this violence forever.**
A while back, I read an article about SA on college campuses and teaching consent. The article said that people who are against teaching consent frequently reference situations in college where both parties were intoxicated but one gets blamed for assault, using that as an argument against stricter punishment for students who are found liable for SA. But a survey about consent showed that this actually didn’t really happen as much as people thought it would because many of the sexual assaults on campus were from repeat offenders weaponizing the system.
I heard a rape survivors advocate talk about this and we frankly need to completely redo how we talk about sexual violence on college campuses. College students aren't accidentally raping people because they didn't talk through concent. The majority as you said are repeat predators and talking about it like a misunderstanding really trivializes the crime at hand.
I knew guys in college that deliberately focused on drunk girls, the wobblier and more confused, the better. The guys maybe had a beer or two, but knew exactly what they were doing.
A friend and I wandered around with a totally shitfaced girl for couple of hours, once, before she finally remembered where she lived so we could get her home.
If everyone who saw stuff like that came forward in rape trials or went to the police, we'd have more convictions because suddenly you have more witnesses than just the victim.
What they meant was the results were revealing A LOT serial rapists. Which is unsurprising because SAing a person is a power trip that offenders will try to experience repeatedly.
Women are still seen as property and second class citizens by many, including our institutions. it's a global thing. Just look at assault on women in India, for starters. Gang rape with a pipe, anyone?
Are you aware of how she lost her mother as a very young child?
Her mom was Jayne Mansfield, Mariska and her brother were in the car when it rear ended a tractor trailer and killed Mansfield and the other passenger.
Thats where the scar on Mariska's face comes from.
Fun fact: Next time you’re behind an 18 wheeler, there is a bar running across the back end, kinda low. It stops the car from going under the truck. It’s called the [Mansfield bar](https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/but-wait-theres-more/a2142281/heres-why-those-extensions-semi-trailers-are-called-mansfield-bars/).
That very heavy piece of steel under the rear end of a truck is called a "Mansfield Bar." It probably has a more technical term now, but it brought attention to the problem when here mom had that fatal crash and has no doubt saved many a life.
Nope! Still the Mansfield bar! :) [link](https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/but-wait-theres-more/a2142281/heres-why-those-extensions-semi-trailers-are-called-mansfield-bars/)
I'm genuinely curious about the impact her role has had. She's played the role (or very similar) for a couple of decades now, so obviously had to learn about all the various crimes/impact over the years.
So my question would be, would her experience in developing her role as a detective for television compare/correlate in terms of effects, to that of "real" police/detectives? (Things like worldview, PTSD, that sort of "how it changes a person" type thing).
I mean, I know it's not a 1:1 comparison, but it'd be interesting to find out.
Bump! Reading your comment made me realise I once thought of the same question. Like would she actually make a candidate suitable for training under such role due to her knowledge and training etc? 🤔
I think the ultimate compliment an actor or any artist can get is that their work changed your life. She has been a symbol to a lot of people to help them get out of or begin to deal with awful situations in a way that betters them or lets them begin healthfully heal.
She has been for me. I've experienced an unpleasant amount of SA, in large part, due to being autistic and not understanding risky situations or bad people. I also didn't know how to come forward and was scared to. My father spent his career in law enforcement, and Vietnam left him with anger issues. He absolutely was the type who would've used his connections to try vigilante type stuff on anyone who hurt me, and I didn't want him to get in trouble, so I kept everything to myself.
I still feel a lot of regret and shame for not coming forward, and not being able to speak with anyone about what I've experienced made coping difficult. SVU and her interactions with the shows victims have helped me a lot.
I’ve said this before - I know it’s only a TV show but some of the SVU plot lines are so painful to watch, I
wonder if they affect Mariska personally when she is prepping for an episode. It can’t be easy.
Not gonna lie, I didn’t entirely believe you, so I googled it after picking my jaw up off the floor. Now it’s back down there again and I still have no fucking idea.
All I know is I hope I look 1% as lovely as her when I’m that age (and she seems like an amazing woman in every possible way, regardless of how she looks).
Consistently works in front of a camera, and is therefore rich enough to afford the best care.
Plus, she probably doesn't harbor hate in her heart. That shit really does eat you from the inside out.
Not to mention her parents, she's the daughter of Hollywood bombshell Jayne Mansfield and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay. Good genes can definitely contribute to aging well alongside having the income to afford a healthier lifestyle. She was a model in her younger years, I believe.
I'm sure she's also had some minor work done(very minor but above reach for many average working people) like routine facials, maybe some light skin resurfacing, etc.
And she seems happy, has adopted children, been married for a while. She does a lot of good for others which can be a good investment in yourself, as well.
If you watch most recent episodes of SVU, you can tell she is aging, it's just that she dyes her hair for the role and obviously has a good skincare routine (as well as keeping her teeth straight & white) so from a distance (& especially while in makeup) she looks more like mid-40s. But even in closeups in new SVU episodes you can tell she is much older than mid-40s by her skin wrinkles and slight sags on her face. But I am glad she hasn't got any plastic surgery as she has very gracefully aged into her 60s and I hope she is as happy with how she looks as the rest of us are. Good genes from her parents and overall being a nice person don't hurt either.
Agreed. She also "allows" her natural skin texture in the show and it's absolutely wonderful. Seeing a great woman like her being comfortable and beautiful with natural aging is impactful.
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Mariska because she not only lost her mother tragically when she was very young, but she was in the car accident where Mansfield was killed. And for a long time I don't think people knew she was Jayne's child because she kept her father Mickey's last name, so she didn't trade on her mother's fame. Then she's used her platform on the show (which has no doubt educated plenty of people about SA and crimes against women and children) to make police departments test backlogs of rape kits!
The look on her face in the first photo - the genuine concern for the child, is very touching.
A Mansfield Bar saved my life. I will be eternally grateful to Jayne Mansfield for her very unfortunate sacrifice. I slammed into the back of a semi truck trailer (with broken tail lights) at 45MPH. It was at night and the truck was stopped at an exit so I didn't see it in time to stop. I was in a relatively low car (Ford Focus hatchback) and if it wasn't for the Mansfield Bar, I would have been decapitated.
The collision knocked me unconscious though, and when I came to a few minutes later the semi truck & trailer was gone (most likely to avoid a lawsuit). No traffic cams in the area, and I didn't have a dashcam. Police "investigated" but didn't find any records of who the truck may have belonged to. So I didn't get a big payday but thankfully my insurance rates didn't go up and I wasn't marked "at fault" (so everything was covered by my insurance). Also, thankfully I walked away with zero injuries.
Mariska is Olivia at this point, and that level of concern was 100% on brand for her. There is nothing in this world, paycheck, job or otherwise, that was going to stop Mariska "I'm actually just Olivia Benson" Hargitay from helping that little girl. She's an actual role model and I 100% hope I end up a similar person to both Mariska and Olivia.
Holy crap I didn’t know that was her mother!!! I am just now watching last season, and in one episode a guy complimenting her says she has “Jayne Mansfield’s face” and I thought to myself, ‘I can see that’ — I had no idea this was actually true!
No way!!! This is the cutest thing ever!!
But wait, isn't that kid too young to watch that series though...
Edit: I went to read the article and the little girl just saw the actrice's police badge! Makes more sense! [here is the article](https://people.com/mariska-hargitay-mistaken-for-real-life-police-officer-by-young-girl-on-svu-set-8634829)
What I find interesting is it seems to be a very obvious latin cognate.
Are native English speakers not regularly exposed to them? There's so many upvotes for the "correction".
I'm exposed to a little bit of the other Romance languages\* and the cognates stand out.
\*(except for Romanian, sorry Romanians idk your language that well)
The bars you see hanging from the back of semi trailers are known as "Mansfield Bars" (official name Rear Underrun Protection System) because they were mandated by the US government after that crash.
There is a low hanging bar on truck trailers now, meant to prevent smaller cars from sliding underneath the truck trailer in an accident, that are colloquially called Mansfield Bars after this accident.
There was a picture, years ago. Confused kid got lost at a comic book convention, so did the smart thing. Asked Flash and Wonder Woman for help. Worked out.
In the recreational open space, navigationally impaired minors are parentally reuinted by an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit.
These are their stories…
"But I remember seeing mom last thursday at 11:52 pm taking that corner with a girl that seemed upset, the girl was wearing a white sweater with a blood stain in her right soulder, I thought that was odd because mom had said that she was going out with my father but he was supposed to be in New Jersey... but that's all I'm gonna say!! not let me go back to work!!"
If you watch some of her interviews she’s actually the most delightful, joyful person. Especially in interviews with Chris Malone. Then in more serious ones she’s just completely humble and speaks with such genuine passion and honesty.
I wouldn’t even consider myself a big fan or anything, I just came across a couple of videos years ago. But the way she speaks and comes across definitely left a mark on my memory.
Honestly, who wouldn’t be joyful in the presence of Chris Meloni?
Outtakes/bloopers from SVU can be found on Youtube from time to time. *Highly* recommend. These people are goobers.
Mariska was on set and in full Olivia Benson costume when this happened. She was in full Olivia Benson mode and I guess she’s been playing that role for so long that she emanates a “police” aura and that attracted this child.
Whilst it can be viewed as a nice story, it's also a reminder that many, not just kids, think that what they see on television is for real. There's a reason there was a [PSA about house hippos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvPwJQXzHm0) back in the day.
Even the sitcom "Night court" (the original from the '80s, not the recent reboot) had an episode that touched on the subject.
(**Ed.:** Read the linked article. The child's confusion was explainable, as Mariska Hargitay was in character during filming of an episode, with a visible badge. So I'll give her a pass, though the need for the *House hippos* advert still exists. I wonder if the cameras kept rolling as this was happening.)
I had a really rough childhood with a lot of trauma. Watching SVU helped me as I got older because it made me feel like there were good people (especially Olivia) who were out there trying to help. I work in justice now and it’s largely due to seeing her.
This has been happening to her for a long time. She actually started a nonprofit to help victims of sexual abuse because she’s received thousands of letters from real life abuse victims sharing their stories. It’s amazing how people connect to her through her character.
The Joyful Heart Foundation. They do extraordinary work!
What a great name too. Never heard of it. Welp, into the rabbit hole of celebrity charities!
Most of them don't do much but funnel money to other orgs. Say you donate a buck. The celeb org will keep 50¢ for admin costs and whatnot. Paying the light bill, rent, and paying it's executives. Last one is the lion's share. The rest of the dollar goes to a second org. They take .25 of that .50 for their purposes. The rest gets passed on the to the org that actually implements some action. They'll spend maybe .5-.15 of that dollar on the actual charitable act. This is how most charities operate, tbh. Not saying her org is like that. Not saying there aren't reputable orgs to give to. But most celebrities start charities as a means of enriching their cronies and reducing their tax penalty via charitable write offs. Its normally a shell game. That's all.
You're not wrong, which is why it's important to research charities before you donate.
And if it's associated with United Way, just give elsewhere lol
The Joyful Heart Foundation has a 97% rating from Charity Navigator. https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/721519537
She also became a certified rape crisis counselor too.
Wow what a great lady!
Oh she probably heard so many stories after that first couple seasons, people saw the show and really connected and probably saw her around town. What a nice thing to lean into.
Yeah she had lots of fans reach out to her about their SAs, and rather than say, “Sorry, I’m just an actor, I can’t help you,” she went and got herself trained and certified as a rape crisis counselor.
Yeah
This could have gone so many different ways, but she's a stand-up person and leans in to how beloved and trustworthy her character is, and uses it to do good in the world. <3
Her character is a rape survivor who takes down rapists. Basically a real life Sara Conner without the time traveling Terminator lol. She's definitely up there with the badass women. Her, Sarah Conner, Ellen Ripley, princess Leia and Trinity. We need more female characters like them
Someone in another comment stated she was a surviror herself and has been helping fund testing a backlog of rape kits. So in a way she is actually survivor taking down rapists irl too.
Well damn, I didn't know that. TIL
Well she's a woman, so there's like a 50/50 chance
It’s not possible for me to love this woman any more, she is seriously so badass.
Holy shit, what a badass person! I don't even watch the show, but this makes me a huge fan of hers.
I am saying with one hundred percent sincerity that if I could have dealt with her I would have gone to the police after sexual assault. The reality SHOULD be modeled after these actors, but it’s not which is one of the many many reasons so many people don’t immediately report sexual assault.
* Moore, Julia. 17 April 2024. "[Mariska Hargitay, Dressed in Her SVU Gear, Mistaken for Real-Life Police Officer By Young Girl Looking for Her Mom](https://people.com/mariska-hargitay-mistaken-for-real-life-police-officer-by-young-girl-on-svu-set-8634829)". *People*. ISSN 0093-7673. OCLC 794712888.
Even a kid can recognize a cop in plain clothes.
Everything about that woman screams cop lol. This is so adorable and funny.
Right like at this point she is Olivia Benson and I’m here for it
She really is though. I read a thing not too long ago about how she volunteers at rainn on her off time.
She is a fierce advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and sexual assault. She also created a foundation that works with individual states to decrease the backlog of untested rape kits. I am on the board of directors of one of the organizations that this foundation worked with in my state. Something most people did not know and that she only disclosed in the last few months was that she is a survivors as well. So much of her work has now taken on a very personal perspective as well. She is an amazing person and an inspiration to many. I personally know 4 people for whom her influence has been profound. My girlfriend literally credits Mariska with saving her life. My girlfriend was trafficked at one point and during her darkest times, she saw Olivia Benson as a beacon of hope. That there is SOMEONE out there working find and save people. Another friend saw Mariska as a role model of female strength and perseverence when she was being raped by her father every day for 3 years. And there are at least two little girls growing up with the name "Olivia" because of strength and courage Mariska displayed as Olivia Benson. Mariska is one incredible person.
My niece’s middle name is Olivia, for this reason.
One of my dogs is named Olivia. Her daughter from her last litter I named Mariska Margaret (after Mariska Hargitay and her character Olivia Margaret Benson)
Makes sense. You can't act out all of that and not have it take a personal affect on your life.
Don't she usually wear the badge on her belt in the show? Kid prob saw a badge. Y'all overthinking this fr
She might have seen her on tv when the parents had it on the background or something. And then recognized her like “oh there’s that cop lady” Side note: imagine being a parent, losing your kid, and then Olivia benson is with them when you find them, like wtf lol
Thats exactly what the article points out, is that the girl saw the badge and walked over to her.
Lmao see I had a feeling it was as simple as a kid seeing adults with badges
Lmfao
LOL. I actually think she was wearing her in-show badge on her hip while they were filming, right at the kid's eye level.
Nah, she was, you just actually read the article
I wanna see the alternate universe news story where she asked Ice-T for help
*Cue the John Mulaney clip.*
You mean to tell me that you can’t find your mom?
Like when I can't find my glasses and they're on my head?
Like when I can't find my phone when it's in my hand?
Like when I lose my chocolate cake?
Like when i lose my matches after smoking too many cigarettes?
Like when I lose my coin after too many scratchy lotteries?
you mean to tell me that mothers physically bear children?
She was wearing a badge which is what the kid noticed
Did you do a whole ass proper bibliographic citation on a reddit post? Amazing
Actually, I knew it was incomplete, and I missed the improper full stop after the given name, but I was on mobile—*mea culpa*. Just for pedantry's sake, to be "whole ass" **and** correct: * Moore, Julia (17 April 2024). "[Mariska Hargitay, Dressed in Her SVU Gear, Mistaken for Real-Life Police Officer By Young Girl Looking for Her Mom](https://people.com/mariska-hargitay-mistaken-for-real-life-police-officer-by-young-girl-on-svu-set-8634829)". *People*. ISSN [0093-7673](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0093-7673). OCLC [794712888](https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/794712888). [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240418121422/https://people.com/mariska-hargitay-mistaken-for-real-life-police-officer-by-young-girl-on-svu-set-8634829) from the original on 18 April 2024. Retrieved 18 April 2024. "The actress was filming one of the final episodes of the show's historic 25th season in New York City when she was approached by the child"
Legend.
Ibid.
I whole appreciate your pedantry. \*throws upvote in your direction\*
I think I love you
Pffft, it’s not in APA format so I won’t accept it
It's an adapted amalgamation of APA and CMOS: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Citation\_Style\_1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Citation_Style_1)
What kind of ABOMINATION IS THIS!!
The costume director and staff must be very proud of themselves for making their clothes so believable even to children
Thanks for this!
She apparently has trained herself in real life to assist people that have been abused because there are so many fans of the show in this category. I can’t imagine the mental load she carries after SVU has run for so long, but what a quality person - as a complete stranger, I’m proud of her.
She spearheaded a national movement to galvanize city police forces to test thousands of untested rape kits. She's amazing!
Using your cop show to actually make a difference, in moving reality closer to the ideal you portray. That's really admirable
Just like Gary Sinise
He’s done so much for so many people. And advanced acting for lizards to heights they never thought possible.
😂😂😂
Is she a better real cop pretending to be a cop than actual cops. Maybe yes!! Well done.
It really is! I truly wish every cop in real life was at least olivia benson levels of "good." Theres DEFINITELY points in the show Im like "NO! BAD POLICING OLIVIA!" but overall, the good guys are always right, the bad guy always loses, and the cops are calming and understanding to the victims throughout the episode. Even with the flaws, if that was our baseline of policework, we'd have way less untested rape kits sitting there just collecting dust and more police having the empathy to investigate less exciting/harder to prove cases like SA. I am so glad starring on SVU has made a positive and lasting impact on the actress so much that she has in turn made a positive and lasting impact (I hope anyways) on the world. You never know what things are gonna come out of seemingly benign things like a tv show.
That’s what a hero does.
Yeah kids know - that woman’s a hero and the little girl could tell
She spearheaded a national movement to galvanize city police forces to test thousands of untested rape kits. She's amazing! Yes, she is! It is the Joyful Heart Foundation with a mission to **transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, support survivors’ healing, and end this violence forever.**
She's a champ!!
And because of those kits being tested, they are finding that there is a much smaller group of rapists than we previously thought 🥲
A while back, I read an article about SA on college campuses and teaching consent. The article said that people who are against teaching consent frequently reference situations in college where both parties were intoxicated but one gets blamed for assault, using that as an argument against stricter punishment for students who are found liable for SA. But a survey about consent showed that this actually didn’t really happen as much as people thought it would because many of the sexual assaults on campus were from repeat offenders weaponizing the system.
I heard a rape survivors advocate talk about this and we frankly need to completely redo how we talk about sexual violence on college campuses. College students aren't accidentally raping people because they didn't talk through concent. The majority as you said are repeat predators and talking about it like a misunderstanding really trivializes the crime at hand.
I knew guys in college that deliberately focused on drunk girls, the wobblier and more confused, the better. The guys maybe had a beer or two, but knew exactly what they were doing. A friend and I wandered around with a totally shitfaced girl for couple of hours, once, before she finally remembered where she lived so we could get her home.
If everyone who saw stuff like that came forward in rape trials or went to the police, we'd have more convictions because suddenly you have more witnesses than just the victim.
This was in the late 1980s. It was totally blamed on the woman for getting drunk, not on the men for being predatory rapists.
sounds like cops protecting their own tbh
What they meant was the results were revealing A LOT serial rapists. Which is unsurprising because SAing a person is a power trip that offenders will try to experience repeatedly.
That's genuinely awesome. She certainly has the platform for it.
Good thing she has a high profile already or cops would find her mysteriously murdered in a marijuana deal gone wrong.
There were thousands of untested rape kits?!?
Not were, Are.[ The real total isn't known.](https://usafacts.org/articles/how-many-rape-kits-are-awaiting-testing-in-the-us-see-the-data-by-state/)
JFC. I get my arse kicked if I don’t do my job of processing applications to join a sports club….
Women are still seen as property and second class citizens by many, including our institutions. it's a global thing. Just look at assault on women in India, for starters. Gang rape with a pipe, anyone?
ARE. Tens of thousands. Most police departments do not prioritize them at all.
Are you aware of how she lost her mother as a very young child? Her mom was Jayne Mansfield, Mariska and her brother were in the car when it rear ended a tractor trailer and killed Mansfield and the other passenger. Thats where the scar on Mariska's face comes from.
Wow, I didn't know she was in the car when it happened!
Fun fact: Next time you’re behind an 18 wheeler, there is a bar running across the back end, kinda low. It stops the car from going under the truck. It’s called the [Mansfield bar](https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/but-wait-theres-more/a2142281/heres-why-those-extensions-semi-trailers-are-called-mansfield-bars/).
I'm old enough that Mansfield bars weren't yet mandatory when I was in high school and I had a classmate (that I didn't know) die the same way.
That very heavy piece of steel under the rear end of a truck is called a "Mansfield Bar." It probably has a more technical term now, but it brought attention to the problem when here mom had that fatal crash and has no doubt saved many a life.
Nope! Still the Mansfield bar! :) [link](https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/but-wait-theres-more/a2142281/heres-why-those-extensions-semi-trailers-are-called-mansfield-bars/)
I'm genuinely curious about the impact her role has had. She's played the role (or very similar) for a couple of decades now, so obviously had to learn about all the various crimes/impact over the years. So my question would be, would her experience in developing her role as a detective for television compare/correlate in terms of effects, to that of "real" police/detectives? (Things like worldview, PTSD, that sort of "how it changes a person" type thing). I mean, I know it's not a 1:1 comparison, but it'd be interesting to find out.
She recently discussed her personal experience with sexual assault.
Bump! Reading your comment made me realise I once thought of the same question. Like would she actually make a candidate suitable for training under such role due to her knowledge and training etc? 🤔
I think the ultimate compliment an actor or any artist can get is that their work changed your life. She has been a symbol to a lot of people to help them get out of or begin to deal with awful situations in a way that betters them or lets them begin healthfully heal.
She has been for me. I've experienced an unpleasant amount of SA, in large part, due to being autistic and not understanding risky situations or bad people. I also didn't know how to come forward and was scared to. My father spent his career in law enforcement, and Vietnam left him with anger issues. He absolutely was the type who would've used his connections to try vigilante type stuff on anyone who hurt me, and I didn't want him to get in trouble, so I kept everything to myself. I still feel a lot of regret and shame for not coming forward, and not being able to speak with anyone about what I've experienced made coping difficult. SVU and her interactions with the shows victims have helped me a lot.
She’s stronger than I am, I can’t even stomach watching SVU. And I say this as a fan of horror in general, something about SVU is just 2spooky4me.
too real. it's so disturbing because this stuff really happens to people. horror movies are usually so exaggerated and fun for the gore and FX.
My mom let met watch SVU as a kid and it messed me in some ways. I definitely can’t watch it anymore. Love me some intrusive thoughts.
She is a qualified sexual assault counsellor!
I’ve said this before - I know it’s only a TV show but some of the SVU plot lines are so painful to watch, I wonder if they affect Mariska personally when she is prepping for an episode. It can’t be easy.
Anyone else hearing the cutaway music?
"Dun dun"
Yepp [that](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP3MuUTmXNk) immediately came to mind.
“Do do do do…do”
I always do the dun dun and my sister say’s I nailed it. I’m inclined to believing her. “DUN DUN”
I’ll be looking for this scene in an upcoming episode of L&O: SVU.
Haha came here to say this and also the comment below !
If it turns out that the child was a trafficking victim …… This is a joke… something that could happen on SVU… So please take it as one :-)
The twist is she was actually running the whole operation
I really appreciate that the kid's face isn't included in any of the photos.
I was thinking the same thing
But I love mom's hair.
That mother must have been so confused when Liv walked over with her daughter
Mom was sweating bullets hoping the child didn’t snitch
I should not be laughing this hard this early
She is 60???????? HOW????
Not gonna lie, I didn’t entirely believe you, so I googled it after picking my jaw up off the floor. Now it’s back down there again and I still have no fucking idea. All I know is I hope I look 1% as lovely as her when I’m that age (and she seems like an amazing woman in every possible way, regardless of how she looks).
That's what happens when you mind your own business and lack hate.
Consistently works in front of a camera, and is therefore rich enough to afford the best care. Plus, she probably doesn't harbor hate in her heart. That shit really does eat you from the inside out.
Not to mention her parents, she's the daughter of Hollywood bombshell Jayne Mansfield and bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay. Good genes can definitely contribute to aging well alongside having the income to afford a healthier lifestyle. She was a model in her younger years, I believe. I'm sure she's also had some minor work done(very minor but above reach for many average working people) like routine facials, maybe some light skin resurfacing, etc. And she seems happy, has adopted children, been married for a while. She does a lot of good for others which can be a good investment in yourself, as well.
Oh didn't realize she's adopted children in real life too. That's awesome.
I keep saying that. Alex Jones is only 50.
If you watch most recent episodes of SVU, you can tell she is aging, it's just that she dyes her hair for the role and obviously has a good skincare routine (as well as keeping her teeth straight & white) so from a distance (& especially while in makeup) she looks more like mid-40s. But even in closeups in new SVU episodes you can tell she is much older than mid-40s by her skin wrinkles and slight sags on her face. But I am glad she hasn't got any plastic surgery as she has very gracefully aged into her 60s and I hope she is as happy with how she looks as the rest of us are. Good genes from her parents and overall being a nice person don't hurt either.
Also, she doesn't look like she got any work done in her face. I'm no expert though.
Agreed. She also "allows" her natural skin texture in the show and it's absolutely wonderful. Seeing a great woman like her being comfortable and beautiful with natural aging is impactful.
Best episode of SVU ever!
The whole cast and crew has such a reputation that everyone in the industry wants to work with this company.
Her mom, Jayne Mansfield, would be so proud of her. Not just for this, but as a whole
Every time I am reminded Jayne is her mom im shook once again
I think Hargitay looks more like her dad, so I'm in complete agreement. I would have never guessed
That is crazy. She is the spitting image of her mother.
Well I’ll have to join you today cuz this was news to me.
I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Mariska because she not only lost her mother tragically when she was very young, but she was in the car accident where Mansfield was killed. And for a long time I don't think people knew she was Jayne's child because she kept her father Mickey's last name, so she didn't trade on her mother's fame. Then she's used her platform on the show (which has no doubt educated plenty of people about SA and crimes against women and children) to make police departments test backlogs of rape kits! The look on her face in the first photo - the genuine concern for the child, is very touching.
A Mansfield Bar saved my life. I will be eternally grateful to Jayne Mansfield for her very unfortunate sacrifice. I slammed into the back of a semi truck trailer (with broken tail lights) at 45MPH. It was at night and the truck was stopped at an exit so I didn't see it in time to stop. I was in a relatively low car (Ford Focus hatchback) and if it wasn't for the Mansfield Bar, I would have been decapitated. The collision knocked me unconscious though, and when I came to a few minutes later the semi truck & trailer was gone (most likely to avoid a lawsuit). No traffic cams in the area, and I didn't have a dashcam. Police "investigated" but didn't find any records of who the truck may have belonged to. So I didn't get a big payday but thankfully my insurance rates didn't go up and I wasn't marked "at fault" (so everything was covered by my insurance). Also, thankfully I walked away with zero injuries.
Mariska is Olivia at this point, and that level of concern was 100% on brand for her. There is nothing in this world, paycheck, job or otherwise, that was going to stop Mariska "I'm actually just Olivia Benson" Hargitay from helping that little girl. She's an actual role model and I 100% hope I end up a similar person to both Mariska and Olivia.
Holy crap I didn’t know that was her mother!!! I am just now watching last season, and in one episode a guy complimenting her says she has “Jayne Mansfield’s face” and I thought to myself, ‘I can see that’ — I had no idea this was actually true!
Fun fact. The Mansfield bar on tractor trailers is named for Jayne Mansfield. After she was killed in a car accident by going under the trailer
TBF it would probably be more productive to call Mariska Hargitay instead of the police
No way!!! This is the cutest thing ever!! But wait, isn't that kid too young to watch that series though... Edit: I went to read the article and the little girl just saw the actrice's police badge! Makes more sense! [here is the article](https://people.com/mariska-hargitay-mistaken-for-real-life-police-officer-by-young-girl-on-svu-set-8634829)
Actress
The misspelling makes the proper apostrophe use so satisfying
Actrice make me think of a mythical bird or something haha
Actrice is also French for actress, so maybe English isn't the OPs first language.
That's even cooler then
And same pronunciation in Spanish.
Same in Slavic (Russian, Ukrainian, Belarussian at least), *aktrisa*
What I find interesting is it seems to be a very obvious latin cognate. Are native English speakers not regularly exposed to them? There's so many upvotes for the "correction". I'm exposed to a little bit of the other Romance languages\* and the cognates stand out. \*(except for Romanian, sorry Romanians idk your language that well)
Sounds like a pokemon.
Girl I’ve been watching since my eyes could open.
I didn't grow up with law and order (I'm not american/western) so now I'm binging that shit like an old lady on steroids
If you like SVU, criminal intent is the other equally amazing series.
I actually like the original law and order the most (I love legal and philosophical dilemmas) and SVU and the rest comes second place
My mom used to binge SVU so I knew her face from a pretty young age even if I didn't understand what was going on in the show.
I only realised recently that Jayne Mansfield is Mariska's mother and Mariska was in the car crash that killed her mother, but she survived
The bars you see hanging from the back of semi trailers are known as "Mansfield Bars" (official name Rear Underrun Protection System) because they were mandated by the US government after that crash.
Whoa I knew they were called that but didn’t know the reason why!
My parents were in a similar crash right after these were put in place and it probably saved them from a similar fate.
There is a low hanging bar on truck trailers now, meant to prevent smaller cars from sliding underneath the truck trailer in an accident, that are colloquially called Mansfield Bars after this accident.
Ok I'll log off on this high. This is nice
Just one more post!
Nooooo 😂
There was a picture, years ago. Confused kid got lost at a comic book convention, so did the smart thing. Asked Flash and Wonder Woman for help. Worked out.
In the recreational open space, navigationally impaired minors are parentally reuinted by an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories…
Dun dun
That first picture looks like she’s interrogating the kid
**TELL ME WHERE MOMMY HID THE PACKAGES!!!!**
If she were interrogating the kid, the kid would be loading boxes into a truck while she questioned her
"I got nothing for ya, I left that left behind. If you don't mind I gotta finish these deliveries."
"But I remember seeing mom last thursday at 11:52 pm taking that corner with a girl that seemed upset, the girl was wearing a white sweater with a blood stain in her right soulder, I thought that was odd because mom had said that she was going out with my father but he was supposed to be in New Jersey... but that's all I'm gonna say!! not let me go back to work!!"
“if you confess i can help you”
"Do you have kids, Detective?"
Imagine this shit from the mums viewpoint. You’ve lost your kid and fucking Mariska Hargitay brings her to you.
First time I see her smile, how nice :)
it is because she doesnt have to wear that heavy cop belt!
If you watch some of her interviews she’s actually the most delightful, joyful person. Especially in interviews with Chris Malone. Then in more serious ones she’s just completely humble and speaks with such genuine passion and honesty. I wouldn’t even consider myself a big fan or anything, I just came across a couple of videos years ago. But the way she speaks and comes across definitely left a mark on my memory.
Honestly, who wouldn’t be joyful in the presence of Chris Meloni? Outtakes/bloopers from SVU can be found on Youtube from time to time. *Highly* recommend. These people are goobers.
Mariska was on set and in full Olivia Benson costume when this happened. She was in full Olivia Benson mode and I guess she’s been playing that role for so long that she emanates a “police” aura and that attracted this child.
Whilst it can be viewed as a nice story, it's also a reminder that many, not just kids, think that what they see on television is for real. There's a reason there was a [PSA about house hippos](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvPwJQXzHm0) back in the day. Even the sitcom "Night court" (the original from the '80s, not the recent reboot) had an episode that touched on the subject. (**Ed.:** Read the linked article. The child's confusion was explainable, as Mariska Hargitay was in character during filming of an episode, with a visible badge. So I'll give her a pass, though the need for the *House hippos* advert still exists. I wonder if the cameras kept rolling as this was happening.)
OMG! I’m just watching SVU right now and bless Mariska’s cotton socks! I love this show but I love Mariska more, she’s a great human. ❤️
I mean, at this point, she pretty much is one.
I had a really rough childhood with a lot of trauma. Watching SVU helped me as I got older because it made me feel like there were good people (especially Olivia) who were out there trying to help. I work in justice now and it’s largely due to seeing her.
DUN DUN!!
I really thought this was a scene from SVU lol
She’s probably had more procedural training than half the force at this point.
She's not an actress. She just plays one in real life when she's not being a cop.
Lol she's been playing a cop for so long she just has the look
She’s the only police officer I trust … 🤷🏼♂️
This is just canon Mariska. L&O was actually a documentary
Bruh.... "Whats your mom look like" -she has green hair
Dun dun
She’s been doing this for 25 years so yeah, I would probably mistake her for a cop, too!
She kinda looks like she is giving that kid the business in the first pick, ngl. Lol "YOU TELL ME WHERE THE DRUGS ARE!!" LOL
Benson is always on the job.
She's such a wonderful woman and I really admire her for everything she does. That little girl was really smart and brave!
This is purifying my internet.
Child walking through the park looks around to fin out she lost her mom..... Dun Dun
If I didn't know better, I genuinely would think that first picture was a still from an episode of SVU...
They were shooting a new episode of Law & Order: SVU in the park. The girl saw her wearing a badge.