To define “rape-culture” we first and foremost must define rape. Rape is the act of performing any unwanted sexual acts on another person. If the victim is unconscious or intoxicated, it is rape. If the victim says “no,” it is rape. If the victim non-verbally pushes you away or acts as if they are unsure of themselves, it is rape. If you threaten or push the victim to the point of them giving false consent, it is rape. The only time it is not rape is when your partner is willfully giving continuous and enthusiastic consent, and there are no exceptions.
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Rape culture is a concept by which rape is normalized and prevalent in a society where topics surrounding gender and sexuality have conflicting attitudes.
There are an abundance of factors that go into why rape culture is so perpetualized, but one of the most important to note is hypermasculinity, or “the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality.” This is not to say that only women get raped because that is absolutely not true; however, hypermasculinity affects men and women in different ways. Men are expected to never show any signs emotional or physical signs of weakness, to be almost addicted to sex (and nearly prove their worth to other men by having as much of it as possible), and to constantly prove their dominance through means of aggression. When they do not exhibit these traits, they are automatically seen as less of a man, and are not taken seriously with actual victims of rape or other acts of assault (i.e. Terry Cruz).
Women, being the subordinate gender, are treated as objects existing solely for male pleasure and are already held at unrealistic standards for what femininity supposedly should be (being over-emotional, soft spoken, nonsexual yet sexually attractive, passive, nourishing, etc.).
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Rape culture is perpetuated in a number of ways. Firstly, by victim blaming, which takes the responsibility away from the rapist and places it completely on the victim. Secondly, through misogynistic language, sexualized jokes, and hypersexualization of womens’ bodies. Thirdly, by assuming only promiscuous women get raped and finally, by feeling entitled to someone else’s body.
Oftentimes, people may not think these factors are a big deal but that shows just how normalized it has become. Calling women “bitches,” slut-shaming them, making “harmless” jokes about sex lacking consent, encouraging men to be persistent despite being told “no,” policing what women wear, not respecting people’s personal space, and generally encouraging harmful stereotypes and gender-roles all contribute to rape culture.
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Rape and rape culture should never have been normalized. As human beings, we deserve the right to journey through life without the fear of someone deciding to have their way with our body. We can all make the effort to fight the normalization of rape culture by standing by rape victims, removing certain phrases from our vocabulary, realizing that women are multifaceted human beings that do not exist to please men and that men do not have to be excessively masculine, and overall practicing consent for both the big and small things.
The sooner we address our own harmful behavior, the closer we get to a safer world.