Rape culture is the concept that examines a culture in which rape is very prevalent and normalized due to society’s attitudes regarding sexuality and gender. Society is surrounded with language, laws, images, and other things that validate the existence of this culture. Every day we see TV shows, advertisements, movies, posts on social media, and even stories in the news that make rape and violence against women seem so normal that rape seems inevitable. Instead of viewing this culture as an issue that needs to be brought to attention and changed, people in this “rape culture” hold the belief that this is just the way things are. Sadly some people in this culture believe that rape is naturalized- that is has always existed and will always continue to exist. All of these beliefs and ideas about “Rape Culture” are continuously being perpetuated by all forms of media.
August 11th, 2012 – a 16 year old girl at a party in Steubenville, Ohio was incapacitated by alcohol when she was carried by two 16 year old football players to another room and sexually assaulted as she was passed out. The assailants took pictures and videos of the assault and quickly posted them to social media and texted them to their friends. Pictures such as this spread like wildfire –
The case quickly spread, and after the New York Times covered it (largely because of the prominent role social media played in the case) it gained nationwide attention. Soon the Steubenville case was being covered by all forms of professional media outlets such as the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, Rolling Stone Magazine, Fox News, and many others. CNN received heavy criticism of their biased coverage of the case. A reporter from CNN had stated “”Incredibly difficult, even for an outsider like me, to watch what happened as these two young men that had such promising futures, star football players, very good students, literally watched as they believed their lives fell apart…when that sentence came down, [Ma’lik] collapsed in the arms of his attorney…He said to him, ‘My life is over. No one is going to want me now.'”
Examples of statements like this can be found everywhere in the media, both on professional and social platforms. The media and public in general have a tendency to place blame on the victim, to focus on the ruined lives of the rapist(s), and to lessen the severity of the case with euphemistic language such as “sexual misconduct” and “inappropriate behavior.” In the Steubenville case, as well as many other assault cases, people place blame on the victim by saying it was their fault for being intoxicated, for wearing revealing clothing, or for even not resisting enough. The focus instead lies on the ruined lives of the rapists that “held promising futures” or who “were just given mixed signals” when it should be focusing on the affects the rape or assault had on the victim.
Evidence of rape culture is also very prevalent over social media. As seen with the Steubenville case, you can see just how quickly something can be spread over the internet. People spread and shared those photos of the victim without any thought of the true severity of the situation. Facebook has also faced controversy for pictures of women in domestic violence jokes, jokes about sex with underage girls, and for groups with names alluding to rape such as “It’s Not ‘Rape’ If They’re Dead And If They’re Alive Its Surprise Sex.” This just all proves how normalized rape and sexual assault has come to be in society. If facts about sexual assault spread as quickly as the myths did, sexual assault awareness would be widespread and well known.
So while the media may contribute to the normalization of “rape culture,” know it’s not normal. It’s an idea that needs to be brought to public attention and changed. If you or anybody you know have been the victim of harassment, assault, or rape let somebody know right away, and know it is not your fault. The national hotline for sexual assault is 1.800.656.HOPE (4673).