Rape Culture: Elements, Media, and Solutions
Rape Culture: Elements, Media, and Solutions Rape culture is the acceptance and rationalization of rape and sexual assault in society due to the normalization of male aggression and toleration of female victimization. Over the years, sex has become a deed less about intimacy and more about possession (the dominance over a partner, the credit men receive for having sex with more than one woman, etc.). Underlying sexism in our daily lives contributes to the practice of objectification, and ultimately fuels the perpetual presence of rape culture in society. We see evidence of this influence everywhere we go—in songs, movies, TV shows, and more. This paper analyzes the main elements of rape culture (sexism, power, body image, and victim blaming) and its relationship with the media, as well as proposes several motions we may take so as to dissolve rape culture from our society.
Sexism and Power
Rape culture’s defining attribute is society’s perpetual sexist mindset. Sexism often promotes male dominance and female submission. Our sexist conditioning starts at an early age (Disney movies, cartoons, bedtime stories), becoming embedded within our minds by the time we reach adulthood. As children, we are taught to idolize men as the icons of masculinity, control, and power, and regard women as traditional ‘damsels in distress.’ Sexism doesn’t just divide men and women—it creates a rift, a social imbalance in power between the sexes. The concept of power is key to understanding the principles of rape culture, for rape is not about sex at all. It is about power and dominance, destructively so, and more often than not, about the domination of a man over a woman. According to a 2005 article published by the British Medical Journal, “Intimate partner violence is integrally linked to ideas of male superiority over women. [V]iolence is usually used…to seek resolution of crisis of masculinity by providing an (often transient) sense of powerfulness” (qtd. in Simister
Sexism and Power
Rape culture’s defining attribute is society’s perpetual sexist mindset. Sexism often promotes male dominance and female submission. Our sexist conditioning starts at an early age (Disney movies, cartoons, bedtime stories), becoming embedded within our minds by the time we reach adulthood. As children, we are taught to idolize men as the icons of masculinity, control, and power, and regard women as traditional ‘damsels in distress.’ Sexism doesn’t just divide men and women—it creates a rift, a social imbalance in power between the sexes. The concept of power is key to understanding the principles of rape culture, for rape is not about sex at all. It is about power and dominance, destructively so, and more often than not, about the domination of a man over a woman. According to a 2005 article published by the British Medical Journal, “Intimate partner violence is integrally linked to ideas of male superiority over women. [V]iolence is usually used…to seek resolution of crisis of masculinity by providing an (often transient) sense of powerfulness” (qtd. in Simister
Cited: Culp-Ressler, Tara. “In the Maryville Rape Case, Multiple Victims May Have Been Assaulted By The Same Football Players.” ThinkProgress. ThinkProgress, 13 Oct 2013. Web. 20 Feb 2014. Gupta, Ruchira. “Victims blamed in India’s rape culture.” CNN.com. CNN, 28 Aug 2013. Web. 20 Feb 2014. Koehler, Sezin. “From the Mouths of Rapists: The Lyrics of Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines.” The Society Pages. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 17 Sep 2013. Web. 20 Feb 2014. Kristof, Nicholas D., and Sheryl WuDunn. Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. New York: Vintage Books, 2009. Print. Mills, Crystal S. and Barbara J. Granoff. “Date and Acquaintance Rape among a Sample of College Students.” Social Work 37.6 (1992): 504-509. Print. Oswald, Debra L., Stephen L. Franzoi, and Katherine A. Frost. “Experiencing Sexism and Young Women’s Body Esteem.” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 31.10 (2012): 1112-1137. Print. Schafran, Lynn H. “Topics for Our Times: Rape Is a Major Public Health Issue.” American Journal of Public Health 86.1 (1996): 15-17. Print. The Sex Abuse Treatment Center. “Statistics.” The Sex Abuse Treatment Center. Kapi’olani Medical Center, n.d. Web. 20 Feb 2014. Simister, John. “More Than a Billion Women Face ‘Gender Based Violence’; Where are Most Victims?” Journal of Family Violence 27.7 (2012): 607-623. Print. Utah State University. “MYTHS AND FACTS.” Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information. Utah State University, n.d. Web. 20 Feb 2014.