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Sexual Abuse
Rape Myth Acceptance Leads to Victim-Blaming
Normalizing sexual violence means perpetrators can justify their actions.
Posted August 6, 2019
This post was co-written by Mellissa Withers, Ellen Minkin, and Alyssa Kyle.
Various instances of sexual misconduct and violence against women have come to light in recent years, many of them as part of the #MeToo movement that made public the abuses of Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, and other powerful men. The movement has undoubtedly led to a greater awareness of the pervasiveness of sexual violence in our society.
But it is unclear whether widespread condemnation of such behaviors has actually led to tangible changes. Is there now a greater sense of urgency to prevent this violence or to penalize the perpetrators? Victim blaming is still alive and well.
Take recent examples from the criminal justice system. New Jersey judge John Russo told a rape victim that she should have “closed her legs,” and another New Jersey judge, James Troiano, said that a teenager accused of recording himself sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl and sending the video to friends with the caption “when your first time is rape” deserved leniency because he’s from a “good family,” who had put him into an excellent school where “he was doing extremely well.”
Judges aren’t the only ones who engage in victim-blaming behavior. Some common examples of victim-blaming include minimizing or excusing the assault because a woman’s clothing was suggestive, or because she willingly went home with a man. Sometimes the assault is questioned if she didn’t fight back or report the crime to law enforcement immediately.
Other times, people say the rape was falsely remembered or just a misunderstanding. As a result, it is estimated that only 230 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are ever reported, meaning that about three-quarters of sexual assaults go unreported.
When Christine Blasey Ford came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings, she faced extreme backlash and even death threats. Not only did she have to defend herself against allegations that she was lying, but she actually had to hire security guards to protect herself and her family.
In her testimony, she described the neurobiological processes involved in the encoding of traumatic events, which helps explain why survivors may misreport the sequence of events, take years to recall what happened, or fail to fully recall specific details of the event. Some survivors are only ever able to recall portions of the event. The part of the brain that is responsible for working memory (useful for remembering recent events and recalling information in long-term storage) and selective attention is also the part of the brain most susceptible to the detrimental effects of stress.
It is common for survivors to forget details or timelines because traumatic events, wherein stress levels are heightened, can impair the normal functioning of the brain, and fear circuitry instead takes control. When fear circuitry is in control, attention is directed towards sensory information but the ability to store contextual and time-sequencing information is impaired.
The idea that women who don’t recall details of their sexual assault are lying is a common rape myth. “Rape myths,” a phrase coined by Martha Burt in 1980, are false beliefs that deny or excuse sexual violence. They are based on stereotypical beliefs that can relate to the victim, the perpetrator, or the act. These myths perpetuate rape culture because perpetrators aren’t held accountable for their actions and survivors are shamed.
Victim blaming is a strong component of rape myths. Some of the “justifications” used for victim-blaming include statements like “she wanted it”; in regards to a victim’s dress or alcohol consumption, “she asked for it because she was drunk”; “rape only happens to a certain type of woman”; or “it wasn’t really rape,” if a woman doesn’t fight back. These give unspoken approval to perpetrators, who may never fully understand the harm they have caused.
Because these myths deny the magnitude of a sexual assault, they consequently put an immense burden on survivors and contribute to post-rape trauma. They also impede survivors’ ability to recognize and recover from these traumatic events, thus posing a threat to women’s health.
While studies have found that men are more likely to believe in or accept rape myths than women, many women also subscribe to these beliefs. In fact, Wilson and Miller found that 60% of rape survivors failed to recognize their assaults as rape. This has serious implications, because this means survivors are less likely to seek medical and police intervention after the rape. Additionally, these myths may discourage a survivor from seeking mental health care and beginning the road to recovery.
Considering the vast negative consequences that rape myth acceptance has not only the victim but also on society, it’s vital we acknowledge the prevalence of these false beliefs and work towards dispelling these misconceptions.
Community-wide educational campaigns could help dispel some of the rape myths. But we should dig deeper to create enduring change. We need to examine the reasons we blame the victim instead of the perpetrator. Why do so many abusers think their actions are justified? What about our culture promotes the belief that men have the right to abuse women? What messages are we sending our young boys about what it means to be a man?
We need to work together to redefine masculinity. Gender norms and traditional gender roles help fuel rape myths. Condoning “minor” offenses like lewd jokes or sexist comments normalizes sexual violence.
There are many ways to tackle this problem. We should carefully examine the ways in which women are often represented as sex objects. Rape prevention programs should be in place in all schools and universities that address these stereotypes. Such programs should define what true consent is—consent should mean an active “yes” so that passivity is not interpreted as acceptance.
Annual sexual harassment trainings should be mandatory in every workplace. Harsh penalties should be enforced by employers for those who do not comply with the rules. Strict sentences should be applied to those who commit sexual assault and related crimes. More support services should be available to survivors who are brave enough to come forward. It’s time to start supporting—and stop blaming—the victim.
Mellissa Withers is an associate professor of global health at the University of Southern California's Online Master of Public Health program.
Ellen Minkin is an undergraduate student at the University of Southern California majoring in Global Health.
Alyssa Kyle is an undergraduate student at the University of Southern California majoring in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.
