Sexual assault and rape are real problems in todayโs society. According to a United States Department of Justice document, in 2013 alone, there were over 173,610 cases of reported rape and sexual assault by victims aged 12 or older in the United States.
The term โrape cultureโ has been thrown around in the media as a way to explain the prominence of (and reaction to) these types of crimes.
Google Dictionary defines โrape cultureโ as โa society or environment whose prevailing social attitudes have the effect of normalizing or trivializing sexual assault and abuse.โ
After experiencing the effects of rape culture firsthand, a woman named Laurah Lukin is speaking out.
Laurah is a jogger, and her Facebook page is filled with photos of her exercising and running marathons. In a post that has since gone viral, Laurah describes one of these events, writing:
โThis past Sunday, I ran a half marathon. It was a great day. I raced with my friends. We all ran well. I set a goal for myself and exceeded it. My husband and daughter cheered for me at the finish line.โ
Sounds like a good time, right?
Well, sort of.
She continues, โThis morning I woke up to a notification that I was tagged in a race photo on Facebook. Interested to see how the day had been captured, I clicked it and was left speechless by several comments from a man I do not know.โ
โThatโs because she doesnโt have any damn clothes on and sheโs running for her lifeโฆ. No wonder joggers get raped.โ
Laurah, a co-founder of LaoTong, a โcommunity that unites and empowers women through runningโ, took to her website to discuss the comments more thoroughly.
Laurah says that her first instinct was to defend her choice of outfit, but, she says:
โThere were photos from the race of shirtless men, men in short shorts, men in tight shorts, yet he did not feel motivated to comment on their potential for inviting sexual assault.โ
She continues, in bolded text, โIt is not my responsibility to choose a race outfit or workout apparel to deter the temptation of men. The length of my shorts is not an indication of interest, invitation, or consent.โ
This manโs statement is blatant victim blaming, a strong element of rape culture. Southern Connecticut State University says that people use victim blaming as a way to make themselves different from the victim.
They explain, โBy labeling or accusing the victim, others can see the victim as different from themselves. People reassure themselves by thinking, โBecause I am not like her, because I do not do that, this would never happen to me.โ [โฆ]
โVictim-blaming attitudes marginalize the victim/survivor and make it harder to come forward and report the abuse. If the survivor knows that you or society blames her for the abuse, s/he will not feel safe or comfortable coming forward and talking to you.โ
The good news is that most people seem just as offended by the manโs statement as Laurah wasโฆ
But the fact that this man thought his statements were a reasonable thing to say proves we still have a long way to go.
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