Braga 1

Gianna Braga
Ms Gardner
English/Period 4
10 May 2016
Rape Culture Should Not Be Pop Culture
The way a woman chooses to dress, at any age, should never be considered the cause of
a sexual crime committed against her, yet we live in a society where this happens (You're
Asking For It). Rape culture, the blaming victims of sexual assault and the normalization of
sexual assault of women, is seen throughout our lives every day (What Is Rape Culture).
Talking about rape culture and realizing its existence is incredibly important to stopping sexual
abuse altogether. The way we raise children, approach mens sexual harassment of women, and
respond to rape has to change so that we can live in a safer, happier world.
Some people believe that rape culture isnt real, that those actions are normal and
justifiable. Catcalling is deemed okay since people believe it should be taken as a compliment
and when a total stranger notices you, its validating (Lewak). Causal joking about rape is spa
other part of rape culture that many people do not think is wrong. Walking around a high school,
it is very possible and likely to hear many teenagers making offensive jokes. A common belief is
that if it is a joke, it can not possibly hurt someone. Rape culture is supported by another popular
belief: that people who get raped are asking for it. According to a study in the Daily Mail, more
than a quarter [of Britons] believe a woman is at least partly responsible for being raped if she
wears sexy or revealing clothing, or is drunk. All of these beliefs are wrong in almost all cases.
First, rape culture is seen all over. Once someone knows what it is, it is very easy to recognize
how wrongly some women are treated. Catcalling is one example the inappropriate treatment.

Braga 2
Most people feel offended or even scared by a random person yelling at them. Addressing joking
about rape, it not only neutralizes that topic and makes it seem less of a big deal, but it can also
be very hurtful to sexual assault victims. It can be triggering and mocks the terrible situation the
victim is in. In high schools alone, 10% of girls and 4% of boys says they have been sexually
harassed, yet teenagers still joke about it as if it is no big deal (Brown). Finally, no one is asking
to get raped no matter the circumstance. A girl in a cute dress at a party is not dressing like that
because she wants people to take advantage of her. Clothing choices do not dictate whether or
not someone is willing to have sex, yet as soon as a girl shows cleavage, people are quick to
shame her, calling her a whore and telling her she deserves to get sexually abused. There is no
justification for rape culture, whether it is just a joke or she is asking for it.
From an early age, the idea that sexual assault is the victim's fault is ingrained into
children's heads. As they get older, women are taught that they have to be careful because they
live in a world full of sexual predators who will target a woman based on the way she dresses
(You're Asking For It). The author of You're Asking For It brings up an event in her life
when she went on a field trip and wore shorts because it made her feel more confident about
herself. Strangers in the street continuously looked at her and the trip ended with her teacher
telling her she need to wear more clothing so people would not stare. Her friends told her it was
her fault for dressing like a slut. In schools around the country, girls are told that bra straps,
shorts, and leggings are inappropriate for school as they are a distraction to boys; however, boys
are not told to pay attention to their work and stop constantly looking at girls in a sexual manner.
At Kenilworth Junior High in Petaluma, California, a meeting was held for only female students.
In this meeting, girls were informed that skinny jeans and leggings were now against the dress
code because they showed off a girl's legs and that would distract boys from their work (Mintz).

Braga 3
Parents and students were outraged at this sexist rule and it was later lessened, allowing skinny
jeans and sweatpants once again. Thinking and teaching like this encourages boys and girls to
believe that girls are to blame for their sexual harassment, that if they had done something
different they would not be abused. This mirrors how people believe if a girl had not worn
something considered slutty, she would not get raped. From the start, people are taught by rape
culture that harassment and violence are the victim's fault, which makes as such sense as saying
that if a house gets robbed, it is the owner's fault for having a door on it. If from the beginning
people were taught that men should be have to respect women and not treat them differently
because of their clothing, maybe sexual harassment would not happen as often.
Sexual harassment happens so often because some men do not respect women. Catcalling
and date rape are examples of the disrespect between men and women. In a Drivers Ed class, a
policeman came and talked to the teenage students. He not only talked about driving safe but
also acting safe. He finished his talk by telling the girls to never leave their drink at a bar or a
club. Although it is good advice for any woman going out, it still should not have to be said. The
boys in the class were not instructed to never date rape a girl, even though they are the problem
in this situation. Men are not taught to respect women as much as they should be. When men
catcall women, they think it is some sort of compliment. If a woman protests or tries to explain
she does not want to be hit on, her response is often met with anger. Enjoying male attention
doesnt make you a traitor to your gender says New York Post writer, Doree Lewak, in her
article Hey, ladies, catcalls are flattering!, but male attention should not be expressed by
whistling and yelling Nice tits!. Bystanders do not try to stop street sexual harassment because
another harmful idea has been taught for years: the saying boys will be boys. It infers that boys
can not control themselves, it is not their fault, they just naturally need to whistle when someone

Braga 4
dressed provocatively walks by. This can be insulting to men who do think before they act and
also gives unreasonable justification for those who do not. Gay women are able to be in a
changing room with other women and not objectify them at all, yet a lady walking down the
street gets honked at because she is so hot that men can not control themselves? It does not make
sense and neither does the existence of rape culture.
Rape culture is extremely dangerous because of the attitude that encourages toward rape.
Rape and sexual harassment should be a huge deal because it is a deep violation of a human
being, yet its not treated so. Many rape victims are ashamed of what happened to them and are
afraid of their rapist so it is statistically underreported, but the extent to which it is
underreported is unknown (Mankiller). It is estimated that over six in ten victims do not report
the attack but that number could be even greater because they are unreported and unknown
(Browning). Even after a rape is reported, it is not treated seriously enough. In 2009, Kym
Worthy, a prosecutor in Michigan, discovered thousands of rape kits, tests used to collect
evidence after an assault, remain untested, even though they can greatly help in the prosecution
of an attacker (Garcia). If these crimes are not reported and investigated thoroughly, sexual
assultants may not get proper punishmentaround eight years in prisonfor their crimes. This
means they can continue hurting people without retribution. Therefore, laws and procedures for
dealing with rape need to be greatly enforced so that people can feel safe and attackers can be
locked up.
Rape culture has to be stopped. In order to do that, the attitude towards rape and women
needs to be different for people of all ages. Without reform, people will continue to be harassed
and treated inappropriately. It is not fair to women and it is not fair to men who are not bad
people. Plus, the harassers and rapists may not face serious consequences for their crimes while

Braga 5
rape culture still exists. Stand up for people you see getting harassed, do not catcall people,
respect women, call people out when they are making bad jokes, and stop rape culture.