“…in the absence of comprehensive sex and sexuality education…adolescents are largely getting their sex education and socialization through media—and the higher their ‘sexual media diet,’ the earlier their sexual experimentation begins.” (Olfman 10) The vast lack of acknowledgment that the media controls childhood sexualization is astounding. As Dr. Sharna Olfman explains “Media can be viewed then as both a reflection and a shaper of society.” In the patriarchal society U.S. citizens live in, there seems to be a massive blindspot where there should healthy sexuality education. A direct result of this blindspot is the prevalent acceptance of rape as an inevitable, inextricable part of society. Men and women are both dangerously, …show more content…
The most common way in which men participate in rape culture is slut-shaming. There is a double standard in society concerning men and women. Men can have as much sex as they like, but will still not be shamed for it like women are. Men have complete body autonomy and reserve the right to do whatever they wish with their sex lives with no fear of judgment. Women do not have such privileges. They are called sluts for doing anything that society (see: men) deems inappropriate. An account from Jessica Valenti, a famous feminist blogger explains that “It seems the word slut can be applied to any activity that doesn 't include knitting, praying, or sitting perfectly still lest any sudden movements be deemed whorish.” Albeit being a hyperbole, Valenti’s observations are quite accurate. Calling women sluts essentially dehumanizes them. It strips their humanity and leaves behind a husk of a human, made up only of forced presumptions and accusations. This dehumanization leads to rape in that it makes rapists no longer care about the consent of their victims. Why would a person need consent from a husk? This lack of empathy is at the core of rape mentalities and rape …show more content…
No.” (Olfman 9) The media plays a much larger role in the development of rape culture mentalities than it should. If there were proper education on sex and rape in schools from a young age, perhaps this media sexualization could be hindered. But since the U.S. is a patriarchy based on traditional Christian values, healthy sex education is, of course, impossible. People are raised to see sex as a taboo subject, something that should not be discussed or thought about, and so they raise their kids in the same way. Since sex is an important part of most people’s lives, people must get the education from somewhere. And if that education is not given in school and is not taught by parents, it is gleaned in misinformed (and sometimes purposefully misguided) bits and pieces from the media. For example, a common plotline in romantic comedies concerns itself with a man pushing his romantic efforts on a woman despite her persistent and clear refusals for attention. This rejection is shown as being a form of courtship; the woman’s refusal is seen as an invitation. In the end, the two end up happily together despite the woman’s earlier reluctance. This is teaching men from a young age that persistence is key, that women don’t really mean no when they say no, that no really means yes, that violating and disrespecting women’s wishes is
Schneider L, Mori L, Lambert P, Wong A. The Role of Gender and Ethnicity in Perceptions of Rape and Its Aftereffects. Sex Roles [serial on the Internet]. (2009, Mar), [cited March 16, 2014]; 60(5/6): 410-421. Available from: SocINDEX with Full Text.
Exposure to pornography increases sexual aggression by 22 percent and increases the acceptance of rape myths that women desire sexual violence by 31 percent. American culture is producing rapists. Every 9 seconds, a woman is beaten or assaulted. 35 percent of male college students indicated some likelihood of raping if they knew they could get away with it. 1 in 5 female college students is the victim of an attempted or completed sexual assault.
Sex Education. (2010). In Current Issues: Macmillan social science library. Detroit: Gale. Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com.byui.idm.oclc.org/ic/ovic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?query=&prodId=OVIC&contentModules=&displayGroupName=Reference&limiter=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=2&catId=GALE%7C00000000LVZ0&activityType=&documentId=GALE%7CPC3021900154&source=Bookmark&u=byuidaho&jsid=97f094e06dbbf5f2bcaec07adbde8e61
From a young age, children are bombarded by images of the rich and the famous engaging in torrid public affairs or publicly discussing their increasingly active sex lives. No longer is sex education left to teachers and parents to explain, it is constantly in our faces at the forefront of our society. Regardless of sex education curriculums and debates about possible changes, children and teenagers are still learning everything they think there is to know about sex from very early on in their young lives. However, without responsible adults instructing them on the facts about sex, there are more likely to treat sex in a cavalier and offhanded fashion. According to Anna Quindlen’s essay Sex Ed, the responsibility of to education children about sex is evenly distributed between teachers and parents.
It is not a topic that is brought up often, especially at schools or at gatherings, yet it is crucial that everyone be educated, or at least informed on a topic that affects women every day. “Given that sexual violence continues to occur at high rates in the United States, it is vital that we understand attitudes and cultural norms that serve to minimize or foster tolerance of sexual violence” (Aosved, 481). Growing rates of sexual violence goes to prove that it is not taken seriously by many, especially when myths excuse the actions of the perpetrator and instead guilt victims into thinking they are responsible for the horrible act. Burt (1980), in her article titled, “Cultural myths and support for rape” attempts to make sense of the importance of stereotypes and myths, defined as prejudicial, stereotypes, or false beliefs about rape, rape victims and rapists- in creating a climate hostile to rape victims (Burt, 217). Examples of rape myths are such sayings as “only bad girls get raped”; “women ask for it”; “women cry rape” (Burt, 217). This only goes to prove that rape myths against women always blame and make it seem like it is the women’s fault she was raped and that she deserved it for “acting” a certain way. McMahon (2007), in her article titled, “Understanding community-specific rape myths” explains how Lonsway and Fitzgerald (1994) later described rape myths as “attitudes and beliefs that are generally
From a very young age children have been taught by their parents that girls do one thing while guys do another. The reason for this is because our parents have been taught by their parents who were taught by their parents and so on and so fourth. When talking to most people about gender roles, they will start to see a pattern in the way they responses they receive, which will leave them with a good idea about how our society has formed the ideas and roles of sexes. Rape culture in modern day society is real and the biggest factors that contribute to it are we have been taught that boys need to grow up tough, girls need to be careful of some men, and that women need to be able to take care of a man and his needs. This way is poisonous to the
Firstly, Rape culture can be defined as the normalization and excusing of sexual violent behavior towards women in everyday media and culture (marshall.edu). Rape culture can also be the over sexualization of women’s bodies and misogynistic attitudes. These images and attitudes may not seem like they are obvious or even present but they are subtly weaved into many of the symbols and daily interactions in society. This is what causes rape and rape culture to be normalized. For example, if a young woman is sexually assaulted in a club, instead of asking details about the person who committed the act, the questions are reversed onto the victim. There are questions that arise such as, “what was she wearing?”, “was she drunk?”, “was she flirting with him/her at first?”. These questions are problematic because they suggest that the victim is the one is at fault for being sexaually assaulted. This idea is pushed by the symbolic interaction that if someone is trying to get lucky the other individual has to follow through, especially in party settings. I often see this especially in music and movies where stalking and harassing a person to the point of being uncomfortable is chalked up as a heated “romantic” pursuit.. For another example, women’s bodies (and often men’s too) are oversexualized. The is especially in the advertising industry and again in the media.
What do you think and feel when you hear the word rape? Do you feel uncomfortable? Maybe even angry? Your certain feelings and emotions towards this word is a result of rape culture. Rape culture, essentially, is how a society as a whole sees and reacts towards rape or instances of rape. In 2013 rape was defined by the FBI as, “Penetration… of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” (Division’s Crime Statistics Management Unit 1). The definition was finally changed after the old definition deemed inappropriate by today’s standards, which beforehand, stated that physical force needed to be used for rape to be considered rape. This is good news for men and women who have been fighting for the definition to be changed, but unfortunately this does not mean that state laws are being changed the same way. Even though the FBI may acknowledge the older inappropriate definition, most states do not. Sexual assault is a commonly unreported crime, where only an average of 36% of sexual abuse is actually reported to the authorities (Planty 7). Some forms of rape can include physical harm, threats, and even death of the victim, and most victims do not want to tell others for fear of criticism, self-blame, or even the fear that their attackers will carry out on their threats. In many cases, victims do have a reason to be afraid. When someone is brave enough to come forward and say they were sexually assaulted, they are putting themselves in the position of being in not only a long legal process, but also having their motives questioned and misunderstood, which is the last thing they want after their experience. The legal system in the United States...
Many of the attitudes, beliefs, and mistaken ideas about rape have been with us for centuries. By looking at myths, such as “women ask for it,” and “it would do some women good to get raped,” from a historical perspective, lead us for better understanding how they evolved. Women are still seen as the property of men, are protected as such. Men and women are still taught to occupy very different roles in today’s world. Men are usually more aggressive, and women are seen as passive. (Vogelman) This socialization process is changing, but slowly.
According to Marshall University, Rape Culture is defined as “an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in media and popular culture.” In American society, it is not hard to find examples of rape culture. In popular movies, music, and current events there is an undeniable notion of victim blaming, and sympathizing with male perpetrators. People have begun to use the term rape as a casual adjective. For example “I just raped him in that game,” could be used to describe two people playing a game and one winning easily against the other. American society uses pop culture and current events to promote and justify the prominent rape culture.
Research Questions and/or Hypotheses The research question and basis of the study can be summarized as whether or not the exposure to sexual concepts through the media have significant influences on the sexual practices of teenagers. Similarly, it is proposed that, if proven to be accurate, media can be used in similar formats to encourage safe sex and preventative sexual health practices. The use of focus groups, journal writings, room tours, and interviews allowed teens the opportunity to discuss sexuality which was operationalized as teen views on love, sex, and relationships. Steele, 1999, p. 334.
Many of the attitudes, beliefs, and mistaken ideas about rape have been with us for centuries. By looking at myths, such as “women ask for it,” and “women secretly enjoy rape,” from a historical perspective, can lead us for better understanding how they evolved. Much stems back to the idea that women are still seen as the property of men, and are protected as such. Men and women are still taught to occupy very different roles in today’s world. Men a...
Many times as we go to the movie theater, listen to a song on the radio, or read a book, we are inundated with sexual themes and innuendos. It’s on billboards, commercials, and even in our daily conversations as we innocently joke about little Jane having her first boyfriend in kindergarten. Everywhere we look, we are barraged by sexual themes when what we need most are educational programs to deter young people from situations that they are ill prepared to deal with. The lack of educational programs can be affected by many factors. Maybe it’s a lack of funding for these type programs in our public school systems, or maybe they’re avoided due to religious or personal beliefs surrounding the subject. Many parents subscribe to the theories that they have taught abstinence, and that should be good enough, or that they want to educate the child concerning these matters as a family, and that it shouldn’t be taught in school. The truth is that sexually toned conversations can be hard to have at home, where there is often a judgmental undertone or a perceived punishment if the young person expresses an interest in birth control. According to the Centers for Disease Control, “46.8% of high school students admitted that they had ever had sex”, and “40.9% admitted that they did not use a condom the last time they had sex”. (Center for Disease Control) Many teenagers believe the common myth that
“Sex sells.” This is a common phrase used very often in social media and entertainment industries. Today, the youth generation is highly exposed to social media and products of entertainment industries from music to movies on the big screen. Most of the products produced by these industries are sexually explicit, and they tend to send the wrong messages about sexual behavior. Adolescents almost spend the same amount of time watching television and engaging with social media as they do in an educational environment. Therefore, the best way to tackle the misconceptions of sex among adolescents is to provide sex education in school. Sex education should be taught in school in order to provide a mutual learning experience for adolescents among
Rates of sexually transmitted disease and teen pregnancy are higher in the United States than in any other domesticated country. Not surprising since American culture has brought sex to the forefront over the last few decades. The need for comprehensive sex education in schools can teach children that the romanticized relationships and sexual interactions in the media aren’t showing the whole story. For children with ...