Rape culture. Coined by second-wave feminists of the 1970s, the term describes a culture that facilitates rape and sexual abuse. Rape culture works by means of misogyny, sex-based roles and stereotypes (gender), and normalized sexual objectification of womyn. Rape culture thrives by blaming and shaming survivors of rape, dismissal of rape as “not that bad,” and trivilization of rape and sexual abuse as something that can be watered down to “just a joke.” With rape culture, there is a hideous fixation on “proving” rape, as if a survivor’s words mean absolutely nothing and there is an unhealthy focus on “regret,” as if something the survivor did (and later regretted) brought on her violation. Oh and don’t get me started about the “false allegation” line, as if rape is something womyn dream about at night and lie about during the day. We live in a rape culture, folks, if you haven’t already noticed. A rape culture is created and supported through mass and social media, everyday encounters that display the aforementioned behaviour, and commonly held beliefs about what rape and sexual abuse “actually is.” Rape culture teaches us that rape and sexual abuse are, most generally, committed by strangers who jump out of alleyways to dramatically snatch their next victim who, of course, puts up one hell of a fight and ends up in a hospital bed before the scene cuts to the show’s opening theme (think: countless episodes of Law & Order: SVU). While, sadly, this sort of situation does occur, this stereotype of a “real rape” and a “good victim” discourages survivors of rape and sexual abuse from coming forward, and encourages rapists to continue offending.
Sam Louise