It Was Not My Fault

In today’s society, women are taught “do not get raped.” They are given pieces of advice such as: cover your drinks, dress in a conservative manner, and never go somewhere unfamiliar alone. Two of these are accurate means of avoiding situations where rape is ever a possibility. However, telling women to dress conservatively is not a good, accurate way for her to avoid being raped. This is a common misconception made by many people, but who are they to judge and say, “If she dresses like a slut, she’s practically asking to be raped”? People who judge in this manner are naïve, ignorant, and unenlightened to the true causes of rape.
As stated, those who judge victims of rape based on appearance are naïve, but it is not because they are incompetent. It is because, in most cases, they are not truly educated as to what rape is. Rape is defined as “any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person.” (Dictionary.com) The word “any” is present in the definition because the second someone says “no” to any way in which someone comes onto them, and the someone pursues, the incident is now grounds to be called rape. Because the word “force” is in the definition, it is implied that the attacker must overpower the victim. Rape is about power; not love, not sexual desire, and certainly not the victim’s appearance. The myth that “women provoke sexual assault by their appearance,” (Roger Williams University) is false. In reality, “[rapists] select victims who are vulnerable and accessible.” (Roger Williams University) Rape is about the attacker feeling dominant over another being. Many believe that “rape is caused by lust or uncontrollable sexual urges and the need for sexual gratification,” (Roger Williams University) but as stated previously, rape is an act of physical violence. The attacker is not looking for sexual gratification.
Another common misconception of rape is that women will claim to be raped for attention or pity. The unfortunate part of this myth is that