What is rape culture?

Rape culture is defined as a culture in which rape is penalized by laws, but maintained through attitudes and beliefs of sexuality, gender, and violence. The United States happens to be one of the greatest examples of this theoretical concept. The term “rape culture” came about in the late 1970’s. It originated as a way to express the ways in which society questioned victims of sexual assault and normalized sexual violence.

Many people argue whether or not a culture can be categorized as “Rape culture,” but the evidence to this ideology is right before your eyes; It is merely a matter of acknowledging it. It is impossible for a person in this society to have any sort of interaction with the media and not see the evidence of why rape culture is real.

The issue is that we, as a society, have become desensitized to such evidence, thanks to ads like this:

And if it were as simple as to say that the companies here are at fault. The fact is that although this companies are most certainly responsible for continuing and encouraging the objectification of women. It is the people who continue to respond to such ads and accept this behavior who are truly at fault. Society as a whole is at fault, for accepting the portrayal of women as prey and men as predators, for accepting victim blaming, for accepting songs like “Blurred Lines” and “Animals,” for accepting women as “ornaments” for men targeted magazines…. It is society’s fault for accepting sexist behavior.

Rape culture feeds from questions like, “What was she wearing?” and “Was she drinking?” Along with statements such as, “Men can’t get rape,” “She was asking for it,” “She should not have gone to that party” and the list goes on.

How is it possible to believe this is not a rape culture when people are taught ways on not to get raped, instead of teaching not to rape? How is it possible to be blind to shirts and occurrences like this?

Rape culture IS real. Women are NOT objects. Women are NOT prey. Men are NOT predators. Men are NOT abusers.

Rape is not a one gender problem; it is a SOCIAL problem. The first step to ending this problem is to acknowledge it. 

More Information:

http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Rape_culture

http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/jhamlin/3925/Readings/rapeculture.html

http://www.wavaw.ca/what-is-rape-culture/