Check out this article on the “Don’t Be That Guy” campaign in Canada, where ads targeting “average joe” potential rapists explain in convenient one-liners that non-consensual sex is assault, and SEXUAL ASSAULT RATES DECREASED BY TEN PERCENT.
And here is the website for the campaign! They even have a much needed focus on same-gender sexual assault.
Evidently, I am a masochist because I decided to start out this week with some of the most depressing and upsetting material. To make the Monday morning blues even bluer I decided to go and watch The Invisible War at Grafton with a friend of mine. Probably the best and worst decision I have made this week, other than forgetting my wallet at home which allowed me to save money, but not have money at the same time. For those who are unfamiliar, The Invisible War is an Oscar®-and Emmy®-nominated film done by Kirby Dick which conducts an investigative analysis of rape, but not just rape within our normal U.S. society. It discusses rape in what is supposed to be one of the most honorable professions of our country, the U.S. military.
“Where the battleground is your barracks”
Last night, survivors and allies of sexual assault gathered at James Madison University to “take back the night.” Throughout the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the annual event takes place in communities and campuses around the world. The goal is to draw awareness to the prevalence of sexual assault, de-stigmatize it, and provide a safe place where survivors can share their stories and find support.
And I really did not want to go. Continue reading
I know we’ve all heard the saying that “Chivalry is dead because Feminism killed it” and part of me believes it. Then I sat down and really thought about it, why don’t I want a man holding the door open for me? Especially at a school like JMU, where it is expected for people to hold the door for each other, I have to contain my inner feminist from flying off the handle when a guy opens the door for me. So maybe I’m just rationalizing it, but there is a difference between holding a door open for someone and opening the door for someone. I expect people, men and women both, to hold the door open for me, to keep their hand on the door until I can grab it myself and keep it from slamming into my face—that’s just common courtesy. However, I don’t need people to open the door for me by this I mean opening the door, standing behind it, and allowing me to enter through first. This is annoying for two reasons 1) you open doors for people who are incapacitated in some way through age, or ability, or the fact that they don’t have a hand to grab it, not simply because the person coming towards the door is a woman and 2) you often have this awkward moment where you get stuck behind the door and end up letting fifteen people in ahead of you which is just inconvenient.
Why do I have to sit down?!
TRIGGER WARNING: Discussion of rape/ sexual assault.
Due to the recent publicity of the Steubenville rape case (and the horrific way it has been handled in the media), I have decided to write a blog series about rape culture to better explain how it is upsetting yet unsurprising that this rape happened, and that it is being addressed so callously in the media (as Hannah Graces articulates so well). In this series, we will explore what rape culture is, and the qualities that define ours as one.
There are certain rules that women abide by to remain safe. Some were taught to us, and some have been learned and internalized. As women, we know to never walk alone at night, in an alley, or to our cars. We know that we must always carry our keys in our fists, to check the back seats before getting in the car, and to always lock the door as soon as we’re inside. We’re taught not to wear anything too revealing, so as not to give anyone the wrong idea; not to put our drinks down, lest someone have the opportunity to slip something in them; and to never leave without our friends, because if someone abducts one of us, at least there will be someone to call the police. Continue reading
“I was always interested in social change but never actually did anything about it.” ~ Ben Rattray
I’m returning for one last installment of the Millennium trilogy posts. Again without spoilers, I will explore author Stieg Larsson’s explosive series with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. In the final installment, we find Lisbeth Salander detained and falsely accused of several brutal murders. While she shamelessly admits to vigilante crimes she did commit, journalist and friend Mikael Blomkvisk uses his investigative ability to secure solid supporting evidence to her guiltlessness. In trying to prove her innocence, Blomkvist unknowingly unravels Lisbeth’s neglected past of being under the care of the Swedish government for her “mental impairment,” giving way to Larsson’s critique of global legislation protecting women, and activism towards change.
With the recent publicity regarding the UNC student who has spoken out about her sexual assault, there has been a spotlight on the way that the University has handled her attack, and the consequent discussion that she had led about it. Because she hasn’t used the name of her attacker in her public outcry, it is difficult to imagine why she is being threatened with expulsion for intimidating her nameless attacker. This is a particularly harmful form of victim-blaming, which not only makes victims of sexual assault feel powerless to face an attacker with whom they still have to share a space with, such as a campus environment, but also discourages victims from speaking out when they are assaulted.
It is absolutely true that accusations of sexual assault should never be taken lightly- by those who hear them, or by those who make them. However, it seems that we are culturally attached to this idea that someone accused of sexual assault is the victim of slander until proven otherwise. Though I adamantly believe that no one should be accused of an action they were not responsible for, I ask you to take a look at the statistics before you accuse a victim of crying wolf. According to rainn.org, 54% of cases of rape and sexual assault go completely unreported. Of the cases that are reported, 97% of offenders are NEVER convicted. Already, the odds are intimidatingly stacked against the victim who wants to speak out about his or her assault. There is also a note-worthy stigma facing men who speak up about being assaulted, shaming them for being queer and therefore emasculated for being a victim of a sexual crime. Continue reading
Fire is contradicting in almost every sense. While it brings warmth and comfort, it can also be destructive and deadly. Historically, fire was a sign for life and sustenance. Being so difficult to capture in its early discovery, fire was often sacred and used in ceremonies to appease Gods of all religions. Today fire is dangerous, often associated with wrath and pain. Fire is also figuratively seen as power, strength and will. A more befitting word couldn’t have been used to entitle Steig Larsson’s Dragon Tattoo sequel, The Girl Who Played with Fire; a novel that’s deadly to the core, but oh so delightful to behold.
Like its predecessor, the plot focuses on the two progressing storylines of its heroes, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. Without any spoilers, the duo’s unrelated lives are interwoven beautifully, to finally unite in the Everest-proportioned climax and explosive cliffhanger. In this novel we find Lisbeth scornful of Blomkvist’s indiscretion, and hell-bent in shutting him out of her life for good. For Blomkvist, having restored his place in Millennium magazine, he is keenly interested in the mud raking potential a new story brought in by an aspiring journalist Dag Svensson. Dag presents several years of investigation into human trafficking and sexual violence that links many high ranking officials in government and the police force. It’s a scandal of monumental proportions that could not only set Dag on the map, but also bring Millennium up from the brink of bankruptcy. Continue reading
The conception of this post was one part luck and seven parts desperation. Last week I experienced for the first time in my life, an extreme case of writer’s block. Having gone through seven drafts of ideas, each of poor enough quality or caliber to warrant dismissal, I was at my wits end. With hours to spare before my scheduled post was about to go live, I was about to write a cop-out “what would YOU, the reader of this blog, like to read” post when I was struck with an idea. While it was suggested early on to write an article reviewing a book, I had dismissed the notion because I limited my focus to outwardly feminist books like Manifesta, of which I have not touched. However, in my sullen desperation I remembered reading about domestic and sexual abuse of women and started to think about books that may be indirectly feminist. Immediately a whirl of storyline came flooding back to me in a memory of a personal favorite series known worldwide as the Millennium trilogy.
The trilogy, consisting of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, has become legend for challenging Swedish social practices and indirectly inciting a worldwide call for reform. As I thought about it more and more, the pro-feminist lifestyle author Stieg Larsson lead, along with the message his books echoed made perfect sense to blog about and share. I realized early on though that to truly capture the narrative of these novels and accurately analyze them with a feminist perspective, I had to break it up into a series of three blog posts. Each post will be devoted to one of the Millennium novels and will focus on the events that occurred and how they mirrored Larsson’s own life. I hope to illuminate his social commentary and in the process explore the feminist implications of his final work. Let’s begin by exploring more of Larsson’s personal life before diving into his flagship novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Continue reading
The rape culture that we live in requires us to intensely think about how we are going to raise our children within it. This week Imagineherstory found an article that talks about how to raise our daughters, but we should also keep in mind how to raise our sons.
Devystation wonders why there aren’t more girls to find out what he scientific “makeup“ behind makeup is.
Ladychaotica21 encourages us to check out this review on Obama’s State of the Union, particularly with regards to his continual framing of women as “wives, mothers, and daughters.” Does this language take away from the individuality of a woman in her own right, by defining her in the context of her relationship to a man? Read this, decide for yourself, and if you agree, sign the petition to ask Obama to stop framing women this way!
After several disappointing nights out in downtown Harrisonburg, HannahGrace was pleased to read this Jezebel article about the infamous “ladies night out.” Does anyone agree that dressing up and going out with your friends only to get shamelessly hit on every time SUCKS?! Is there no comfortable environment where we can sit, drink, and not worry about getting laid?
FemOnFire found this article highlighting a tribute to survivors of sexual assault that was visible on the National Mall this week. Though short-lived, it was a good step toward giving victims of assault a forum to speak out.
jgrand50 found an article that discusses the battle between Native American sovereignty and women’s rights in upcoming legislation.
ElFeministo thought this post from Feministe about defending sex workers rights while opposing sex-trafficking was an interesting take to an otherwise divided issue.
Kelly J. found these two photos, a Victoria’s Secret advertisement she thinks is representing what society and men specifically want to see as the “average” woman, and a Dove advertisement as what she thinks women see as the “average” woman. She says that it is ironic that the Victoria’s Secret advertisement is titled “Love My Body Campaign”, because she doesn’t think that the models are “loving” their bodies in a healthy and real life way.
Which ones are “real”?
ShoutOut! JMU
Active Discourse