I was scrolling through my Facebook page this morning and I could not believe the video I watched on my news feed...
Safety">https://www.facebook.com/ShareablyNow/videos/17990... tips for womanImportant safety tips all woman should be aware of.
Posted by Shareably on Wednesday, June 8, 2016
I was in complete awe. I thought, "Wow. How unbelievably sexist. How could videos like this one exist?" Then I looked up more and there was a surplus. So many videos of how women need to behave in order to prevent themselves from being raped like it was their job to do that or their fault that this happened to them.
First, off I want to point out how this video (on Shareably) displays the stereotypical outlook that people may have about women. It goes on to says things like they don't have "strength" and they need to "outsmart" their perpetrator. This goes back to the stereotype that women aren't physically strong and they may only be book smart.
Second, I'd like to point out how this video demonstrates how we should be acting. For example, when it talks about how women wait in the car after grocery shopping and that may be at risk of being a victim of sexual abuse if they don't leave right away. I know plenty of men that do the same thing, not only women do this. Also, women aren't the only people who are raped, men are too. There are so many male victims of sexual abuse. Men are less likely to report because society deems that women are the only ones who are raped or encounter sexual abuse.
Third, we also know that the majority of rapists are people who we know. They aren't usually strangers. It's not the person you don't know that you have to worry about, it's the person you've been best friends with since middle school or the star player on the soccer team, or the person who volunteers every night at your local soup kitchen. These are the people who opportunistically take advantage of a victim who may be incapacitated, or simply view as "easy targets".
Lastly, it isn't my job to prevent being raped. If this was a working strategy, then shouldn't women from the Middle East who are covered from head to toe be the least at risk? They should be the safest women on the planet. But they are still victimized, may be even more than people who may be less covered. Why? Why is it that women are taking responsibility for male behavior (as depicted in all these videos)? Why should women have to "cover up" or "drink less" in order to prevent men into behavior that is so utterly immoral. Women have to watch what they do and what they say in order to prevent "bruising of the male ego." These videos are essentially saying that we must "submit" in order to stop men from feeling powerless. Or make sure "it is the other person he rapes and not you."
This video is essentially claiming that women are at fault because of rape...
Teach boys and men that they are the ones responsible for their own thoughts and actions. That there should be equality for both men and women. Women who are strong and independent should not be illustrated as a threat to a man's masculinity. This is truly how you diminish rape culture. "Safety tips", as depicted in these videos, only perpetuate the idea that we are at fault for "allowing ourselves to be raped."
