What Is Rape Culture?

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A woman claiming to have a boyfriend is the easiest way to get a man to leave her alone because he respects another man more than he respects the woman. This is just the beginning of the newly coined term “rape culture.” Over the past few years, the term has risen in popularity in society, encompassing all aspects of gender discrimination toward women, primarily focusing on the rape epidemic in America. Shown in a recent study, one in five women survives rape or attempted rape (Maxwell). Not only is that a startling statistic, it represents real women who are faced with the difficulties of rape culture every day. However, it is not a widely accepted concept. Many people refuse to believe such a systematic bias toward women is occurring today. While it is true that men can be raped and women can be the perpetrators, the majority of instances involve women as victims and men as the aggressors. Rape culture is a highly controversial topic in mainstream America; however, its existence is real and terrifying and its denied relevance by the general public only hurts women now and in the future. The controversy surrounding rape culture is seen in varying degrees. The …show more content…

Rape culture encompasses all aspects of women being marginalized and sexualized by society. Sometimes, men are raped or a woman is the aggressor, but the majority of the time, women are the victims of rape and the culture that comes with the crime. It is seen in small degrees, such as schools banning tight clothing for girls or song lyrics condoning rape, or on a larger scale such as victim blaming in instances of rape. It is considered shameful for a woman to speak out about rape culture; however, women need to end the silence on their victimization by society and speak out about the epidemic in America. It is time for a

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