Rape (n): a type of sexual assault perpetrated against a person without that person’s consent

Rape culture (n): the concept in which rape is normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality

Now that that’s cleared up, it’s safe to say that it is inhumane to normalize rape.

The main point of contention when it comes to rape is what the victim wears. So what if the victim was wearing shorts? That is not an excuse for condemning that person to a lifetime of humiliation and vulnerability. People should be allowed to wear whatever they would like without having to anticipate retaliation, whether it is through the form of rape, or just mean gossip being spread that they wore something “inappropriate.” Granted, a person should have the common sense to wear something in good taste, but that decision should be ruled by his/her own sense of morality, not by the fear of assault because he/she chose to wear something that was comfortable.

But let’s move on from that. Suppose you did wear a tank top and shorts to keep you cool on a scorching summer day and an ignorant person saw that as an excuse to rape you. Now what? Can you move on from an event that makes you feel like you have a bright neon sign above your head declaring to everyone that you dared to wear something “provocative” that ended with your rape?

Rape is the only type of assault in which the victim is made the scapegoat for the world to see. In fact, victimizing and “slut shaming” are common phenomenons that are results of rape culture. Both include placing the blame on the victim’s shoulders by saying that they did something wrong, or wore something provocative. However, I fail to see the logic in that. How can the victims be blamed when they are the ones that are three to six times more likely to suffer from depression/post-traumatic stress disorder and to commit suicide?

For the rapists it’s a whole different story. Most victims of rape choose not to report the crime because they are afraid of judgment, making rape one of the most underreported crimes, with only an average of 39 percent being reported. Also, the rapists don’t have to worry about being caught, because only six percent of rapists are jailed for their offense, of which 46 percent are re-arrested within three years for another felony.

Now with Prom coming up, a lot of students will be hunting for the perfect dress that will be the perfect finish to a perfect night. But how can that night be perfect if the hunt for the dress was hindered by the thought of trying not to look “slutty?” Finding a pretty, affordable, classy dress is hard enough as it is without having to worry about being “distracting.”

In addition to that, the atmosphere at the most anticipated school dance is one that can be seen as potentially leading students to do inappropriate things. What with all the bumping and grinding going on, it’s easy to see how one might get “carried away” without realizing that 82 percent of rapes are committed by people that the victim knows, like another student at a school dance. Though I believe that expecting to be raped at Prom is a little paranoid, dismissing the possibility is ignorant.

As a generation we often tend to blame society for all things that are wrong in the world, forgetting that we are the ones that make up society. So, if we wanted to see a change in the world, we are the ones that need to initiate it. In order to stop the terrible crime of rape, we need to first stamp out the idea that rape is “okay” and is the victim’s fault, as implied in rape culture.