Rape culture is defined by Marshal University as “an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety.” The male-dominated societies in the Middle East and Asia, as well as many war-torn nations in Africa are well known for their sexual violence against women. The women in these countries have few if any rights and are viewed as property. There is little or no punishment for the male perpetrators, and often it is the woman who is punished if rape …show more content…
There are commercials for fragrances and clothing that show highly sexualized images with women frequently shown being over powered by men, and sexual jokes are so common in some sitcoms that they often go unnoticed. Rape is normalized when pornography is also normalized. When it is just expected that men are watching porn and that is considered innocent (Kuhn). Sexual violence is normalized when our top leaders have been heard crudely talking about their uninvited sexual advances that they are entitled to because of their status, and it is explained away as "locker room talk" (Reilly). Rape is normalized when politicians refer to “legitimate” rape as if there could be such a thing (Moore).
Rape is normalized when victims are not taken seriously and called liars because the rapist is a celebrity. Even in less high profile cases the credibility of the victim is often called into question under the false assumption that women frequently lie about being raped. The reality is that only about 2% of reported rapes are false. This is about the same rate as false reports of other crimes (West Virginia