Assignment 16: Sam Underwood

What comes to mind when you first think of the word “feminist”? Angry? Argumentative? The list goes on. Feminism was a foreign word to me until recently. That being a topic relating closely to the equality in treatment of women socially and economically. I have always been aware of the issue of sexual harassment, but it felt like it was something that could never actually affect the lives of those around me. As I’ve grown into being a young adult,  I’ve been exploring the liberties and freedoms that come with it. Having a job, driving, staying out late. As much fun as these are I’ve come to realize the dangers that come with them. I never dreamed that at  my job i would receive the advice to carry a pocket knife on me for the walk to the parking lot. That while exploring the liberty of driving, I’d be catcalled at a gas station at 8:00am in the morning by seemingly drunk older men. And that I would find myself in the scenario of while walking to my car, out late, and finding a man blatantly following me to it. These instances scary as they may be are only glimpses at what it is like to be a woman in today’s society.

Victim Blaming is when the victim of a crime or any wrongful act is held entirely or partially responsible for the harm of that crime against them. Time after time again, Americans victim blame those who have been sexually harassed or raped. In 2011, The rape case of a young girl in texas became a famous example of this. The 11 year old girl, unnamed , was repeatedly and violently raped. The defense lawyer and several news sources took the stance of describing her to be a “seductress who lured men to their doom.” The New York Times posted an article comparing her to a spider luring a fly into its’ trap it says “Like the spider and the fly. Wasn't she saying, 'Come into my parlor'” This not only relieves blame from the rapist but places it on the victim. This is obviously damaging because it can prevent justice from being done.

What were they wearing?

This is a question often asked of sexual violence victims. Often the blame of the crime gets put upon how revealing or scandalous the victim’s clothing may be. The University of Kansas’s recent art exhibit published victim’s stories and the clothing they were wearing to shed light on how harmful victim blaming can be. The exhibit showcase ranges from bikinis, work clothes, hoodies, business attire, to even children’s clothing. This highlights that anyone can fall victim to this crime.

Sexual Violence affects people of all ages and gender. Of those with developmental disabilites, 83% of women and 32% of men have experienced sexual violence   often from a caregiver or family member. Sexual Violence can cause a multitude of negative effects ranging from depression, ptsd, stds, unwanted pregnancies. It’s clear to see how harmful of an issue this is.

So why is it that I still hear rape jokes? One in every four women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime and one in every six will experience rape.  that doesn’t seem very funny to me.

The answer is society doesn’t take issues of sexual violence seriously enough. They are more often seen as debate topics as to who’s to blame than crimes. A campaign done by the National Women’s Organization called “Take Rape Seriously” has the goal to use the media coverage that sexual violence has gained in the past years to educate people on the harmful effects of victim blaming and how it normalizes the issue of sexual harassment and rape.

So what do we do moving forward? American Society must see sexual violence for the issue it is. Correct sexual education and media coverage, and longer and harsher prison sentences for those who have committed acts of sexual violence would aid this. All in all, Americans need to realize sexual violence for what it is and who is to blame for it.

Bibliography:

Vagianos, Alanna. “Art Exhibit Powerfully Answers The Question 'What Were You Wearing?'.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 Sept. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/powerful-art-exhibit-powerfully-answers-the-question-what-were-you-wearing_us_59baddd2e4b02da0e1405d2a.

“It's Time To Take Rape Seriously.” NOW-NYC |, 9 Nov. 2016, nownyc.org/violence-against-women/take-rape-seriously/.

“Effects of Sexual Violence.” Effects of Sexual Violence | RAINN, www.rainn.org/effects-sexual-violence.

“Did The New York Times Blame the 11-Year-Old Victim of a Texas Gang Rape?” Ms. Magazine Blog, 9 Mar. 2011, msmagazine.com/blog/2011/03/09/did-the-new-york-times-blame-the-11-year-old-victim-of-a-texas-gang-rape/.