The Culture of Consent
Bring those blurred lines into focus; deep-dive into issues such as sexual violence, consent, victim blame and the difference between yes and no.
Labels have Responsibilities
The days of women sufferings have come to last few laps in our society but it's always the last stains that are the most stubborn. 19th century saw the rise of feminism from the french word "féminisme" but it was the 20th century this word gained traction in the global liberal world.
Mudit SharmaPublished 3 years ago in VivaSexual Abuse of S.Baartman
Sara's life was of hardship. She was born in 1789 in the Camdeboo valley in the eastern part of the Cape Colony in South Africa. It is commonly thought she was born in the Gamtoos valley, but she moved there with her family only years after her birth.
iamnjabuloPublished 3 years ago in VivaHow to Rape-Proof Your Son
Yes, you read that title right. This is for all parents who want to protect their sons from the trauma of being accused of rape. And no, I’m not just going to say, “Teach them not to rape, Assholes!” This is some real, serious, and practical advice.
Symbliene E GriffinPublished 4 years ago in VivaDoubt: The Cornerstone of Condoning Rape
The question I’d like to ask Marie, even after the truth came out, is if she had to do it all over again, would she still call the police? Would she still come forward? Would she tell Peggy? Shannon? She was burned at the stake for telling the truth saturated in doubt as kerosene, everyone she told threw lit matches on her. Would she do it again?
Let's End Rape Culture
Hello. My name is Ireland and I am a survivor of sexual assault. I don't like the title, but I find myself telling people this title all the time. Why, you may ask? Well, almost every woman I've met in my lifetime has had to deal with sexual assault of some kind. Can you believe that? 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. That doesn't even count the woman who aren't raped, but still sexually abused. Get this, 90% of adult rape victims are female. Ninety percent! Women ages 18-24 who are college students are 3 times more likely than women in general to experience sexual violence. Females of the same age who are not enrolled in college are 4 times more likely. And Native American Woman are attacked more than anyone. There is obviously something wrong here, right?
Consent
In this day and age, we need to relearn what consent is. In the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why, one of the main characters (Bryce) said: "I could tell she wanted it and she didn't exactly say no." That's such a young guy way of thinking, and some men never grow out of that. They can't wrap their minds around why women don't want sex with them all the time. Men also don't understand why women don't want sex to be the focus of a relationship. You will not die if you don't get sex when you want it. Not every girl is going to want you... shocker, I know. Now I know not all men think the way I just described. There are decent men out there. It's not just men that need to learn about consent either, we all do.
Lena BaileyPublished 5 years ago in VivaGuynocology
Hello Boys. I think I get you more than ever. These past couple of years must have been horrible for you. I mean this. I’m assuming I’m talking to men who are completely flabbergasted at how many of their peers have had to learn not to rape, assault and overlook women for work. No, I’m not being facetious. I know more decent men than I know indecent men. A very decent, funny and smart man raised me. I’m the sister of one of one of those decent, funny and smart men. I’m talking to those men, right now. I’m talking to the guy who, even by the recent discovery of what women have known forever, still don’t fear going on a date, because if he was wondering about his past own behavior on dates, maybe he shouldn’t be dating, at all. If you’re a man who says that you don’t want to date now, because you don’t know if you might do something wrong, don’t date.
Camilla RantsenPublished 5 years ago in VivaAn Open Letter to the Man Who Crossed the Line
Originally posted on my blog. I know you don’t ever think of me, at least to be honest, I truly hope you don’t. The thought of you thinking about me makes me sick to my stomach.
Harley MyersPublished 5 years ago in VivaWhat Is Rape Culture
Rape culture is a toxic set of beliefs that are commonly held about the way the world is. It is a culture that normalizes sexual violence and just sees rape as inevitable, unavoidable, and a totally normal thing. Rape culture supports and encourages male sexual aggression as well as violence against women and other groups. It ignores the problems around sexual assault. Victims are blamed for the act and encouraged to take precautions to avoid being raped. This is a more dominant attitude than teaching people not to rape others.
Teela HudakPublished 5 years ago in VivaMy Second First Time
Your first experience with anything dictates your feelings subconscious and otherwise. My first sexual experience was a rape. I didn’t want to be scathed in any way. So I decided I wouldn’t be. I was young, I still had time to have impactful experiences. I’d just make an effort to do a bunch of other stuff and effectively knock this one out of the ring. I was desperate to have a sexual experience that could replace the assault. I wanted a first time story I could tell in drinking games. It had to hold up while reminiscing with friends, laughing about how short it was, how uncomfortable, how I had grown frustrated with fumbled buttons and clasps and done the damn thing myself. Unfortunately life and I weren’t on exactly the same page on that front, so I would create one.
Verdabelle StonessPublished 5 years ago in VivaWhat Is Sexual Assault?
Sexual assault can take many forms. The legal definition will change a bit from place to place, but it is generally defined as any action that is sexual in nature and violates the sexual integrity of the victim. It is an unwanted and non-consenting action performed by one person on another. In many cases, sexual assault is defined by its lack of freely given consent. It is used as more of an umbrella term that includes a wide variety of unwanted actions.
Teela HudakPublished 5 years ago in VivaWhen Can Consent Be Withdrawn?
When is it okay for consent to be withdrawn in a given situation? Is there a point of no return where a person must simply follow through? No matter who you speak to, everyone will have a different opinion about this aspect of consent. There are a lot of different opinions based on people's experiences and their upbringing, but the truth is that most people haven't really learned about consent. Most people have not taken the time to learn about and explore the topic. They feel they have a good understanding just because they have a basic understanding. Research actually shows that most people aren't able to correctly identify the finer points of consent. This is why it's important we continue to have the discussions exploring the different aspects of consent. So when can consent be withdrawn?
Teela HudakPublished 5 years ago in Viva