Pop Culture: The Degradation Of Rape Culture

Most people do not even know rape culture exists, but it is alive and strangling society tighter by the second. Rape culture is an environment where rape is prevalent and where sexual violence is normalized and excused in the media and pop culture. It is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, victim blaming, objectifying women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence. Rape culture creates a society that disregards people’s, most often women’s, rights and safety (SCSU). Some still do not believe rape culture exists, which is exactly why it does exist. Rape culture thrives upon casual misogyny in normal conversations with our peers. It depends on the media Americans consume everyday. Society accepts the degradation of
From dismissing sexual assault by saying “Boys will be boys!” to blaming a victim of sexual assault by saying “She asked for it!” (SCSU). There are sexually explicit jokes within everyday conversations, like a college chant saying “Y is for your sister. O is for oh-so-tight. U is for underage. N is for no consent. G is for grab that ass” (Ridgway). Classifying manhood as naturally dominate and aggressive and pressuring men to ‘score’ is an example of rape culture. Another is defining femininity as submissive and sexually passive and telling women not to appear cold and distant. Teachers and parents try to teach girls not to get raped, but they do not teach boys to simply not rape. Some adults even encourage their sons to be with as many women as possible, which can pressure them into committing rape (SCSU). Rape culture is in all aspects of society; from popular songs singing about the “blurred lines” of consent and telling women “you know you want it” to a 50-year-old man only sentenced to 30 days in jail for raping a 14-year-old girl who later committed suicide. He was given a short sentence because the girl was “older than her chronological age.” Rape culture is found in sports, with athletes committing rape but being let free because their career would be ruined. It is found on the streets with vulgar harassment and women feeling unsafe on their way home from work. It is found in Hollywood by people who defend
Victims of sexual assault are terrified of coming out as assaulted because they will be blamed or called a liar. Male victims are terrified because they will be made fun of for not being proud of being sexually assaulted. Rape is normalized and seen as a common, causal occurrence in college. Victims live the rest of their lives, some suffering from PTSD and other disorders, blaming themselves. Women are objectified and men are encouraged to have sex as much as possible