How To Recognize and Combat Rape Culture
Examples of rape culture:
Blaming the victim (“They asked for it!”)
Trivializing sexual assault (“Boys will be boys!”)
Tolerance of sexual harassment
Inflating false sexual assault report statistics
Publicly scrutinizing a victim’s dress, mental state, motives, and history
Gratuitous gendered violence in movies and television
Defining “manhood” as dominant and sexually aggressive
Defining “womanhood” as submissive and sexually passive
Pressure on men to “score”
Pressure on women to not appear “cold”
Assuming only promiscuous people get sexually assaulted
Assuming that men don’t get sexually assaulted or that only “weak” men get sexually assaulted
Refusing to take sexual assault accusations seriously
Teaching women to avoid getting assault instead of teaching men not to assault people
How can people combat rape culture?
Avoid using language that objectifies or degrades people.
Speak out if you hear someone else making an offensive joke or trivializing assault.
If a friend says they have been sexually assaulted, take them seriously and be supportive.
Think critically about the media’s messages about gender, relationships, and violence.
Be respectful of others’ physical space even in casual situations.
Always communicate with sexual partners and do not assume consent.
Define your own gender— manhood, womanhood, or otherwise.
Do not let stereotypes shape your actions.
Get involved! Join a student or community group working to end sexual assault.
taken in part from Marshall University’s Women’s Studies Center, thanks to Rafaela for originally posting this on Facebook.
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