Abstract: In this presentation I explore the harm of positive assault portrayals, which refer to depictions of sexual assault in which the victim is shown to initially refuse some sexual contact but subsequently change their mind or enjoy the assault. I propose that, contrary to some popular feminist analyses, the significance of positive assault portrayals is the meaning of ‘consent’ and ‘rape’ they promote. On this view, belief in rape myths for example, does not merely reflect misconceptions about the nature of rape, but the adoption of a regressive conception of what ‘rape’ means.  Positive assault portrayals force us to presuppose this regressive conception of ‘rape’ in order to make sense of them. I aim to argue that these positive assault portrayals, specifically when produced in popular media, could successfully shift the meaning of ‘rape’, with potential consequences for the perpetration of sexual violence itself.