Hannah Graham’s disappearance is frightening and unfortunate. She is an accomplished alpine skier, alto saxophone player, and straight A student at the University of Virginia. Although she is a remarkable young woman, people seem to be fixated on her actions leading up to the disappearance. From this one isolated event, people have made sweeping assumptions about her as a person. Yes, she was wearing a crop top, was out partying and was under the influence of alcohol. However, this certainly does not mean she was “asking for it.” This goes back to the classic debate as to whether women who go out at night, wearing certain clothing, should expect to be assaulted, abducted, etc.
I vehemently oppose these crimes, as do many other people. When these situations occur, they are often unforeseen. Typically, these incidents involve a promising young woman who is somehow vulnerable, and unknowingly falls into the clutches of a predator. Amidst the belief that the incident could have been prevented, the details of the night are scrutinized: Maybe if she was not wearing that outfit, maybe if she had not been drinking, maybe if she was not walking around alone at that time of night, the situation could have been averted. Speculation aside, these events are truly heartbreaking. I believe that there is absolutely no excuse for sexual assault or abduction. There is never a time when rape can be considered admissible. However, these crimes still do exist. I feel like we should find a way to effectively combat this from happening to both women and men alike. The ultimate goal is for women to be able to wear what they want, at any time of the night, and know that they will not become a victim for these reasons.
A conflict arises when trying to determine the best approach to the problem. Some may argue that the only way to evoke change is to go against conventions by wearing “scandalous” clothing as a means of protest. In theory, this should convey the message that no matter what type of clothing a woman is wearing, she is by no means “asking for it.” While I strongly agree with the message itself, I believe it should be conveyed in a different manner. It would be counterproductive for people to put themselves in harm’s way for this purpose. Instead, precautions must be taken. We should be able to do just as Hannah, and many others, do on a weekend night. We should be able to go out when we want, wear what we want and do what we want without being apprehensive about the unwarranted consequences from doing so. However, our society is simply not at a stage where doing this is completely safe. Change should be accomplished in steps.
First, we should take precautions to eliminate chances of this happening to us or anyone else. This can be done by being vigilant and aware of our surroundings. Second, if we want to leave a party in an unfamiliar location, it is best to take someone along, or to call a taxi or RamSafe. There is absolutely no excuse for anyone to cause harm to an innocent girl, and whoever does so should be prosecuted. However, wrongdoers exist, and it is up to the individual to steer clear of them. It is roughly the same idea as making sure you don’t leave valuables unattended — you may have momentarily stepped away, and someone steals something important to you. Even though they had no right to do so, the situation is ultimately to your detriment and not theirs. There are things people technically “should do” or “should not do,” but not everyone abides by rules and laws.
It is up to the individual to try to protect themselves and others around them. By establishing a community of like-minded women, we can look out for each other while simultaneously working towards a common goal. We can protest the injustice of Hannah Graham’s disappearance by raising awareness about cases like these, lobbying for better laws against crimes traditionally targeted towards women and urging others to take on this cause as well.
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