She was asking for it

By: Mallory J.

In recent news, more and more women are being accused of falsifying rape, or being blamed for what happened to them. However, rape culture began long before then.

SLUT

ATTENTION-SEEKER

WHORE

HOOKER

PROSTITUTE

“SHE WAS ASKING FOR IT”

“WHAT DID SHE EXPECT?”

In some high school, a young, innocent, 16-year-old girl just trying to get to class. But then she starts to walk a little bit faster, trying to get away from the same boy that calls her names in school. ‘Babe’, ‘sweetheart’, and ‘chick’,just to name a few. And just when she thought she was in the clear, he walks up behind her and smacks your ass. That has happened to her every single day since she was 14. That’s the feeling most girls get almost daily. Because they may show a little more skin than what’s deemed ‘acceptable’. Because they are comfortable in their own skin. A girl can’t be blamed for trying to be proud of herself. Can the boy be blamed then, for commenting on how a girl looks?

In today’s society, girls can’t win. They cover up and hide their bodies because that’s what seems appropriate. But then they are deemed ‘prudes’. But then they try to be a little confident and show some skin and now they’re ‘sluts’. Be definition, the word ‘slut’ means “a woman who has many casual sexual partners”. How a person dresses has no correlation with how many people they interact with. A woman should be able to dress how she wants, whenever she wants, without fear of being called out for it.

Not only are women being called sluts; it’s men who are doing the name-calling. Men do not get the right to question a woman’s choices, whether it be how she dresses or who she has a relationship with. A woman’s choice is just that: her choice. Women didn’t fight hard to gain their rights to vote and have an abortion just to be shoved down again by a man who thinks he has a right to tear a woman down because of her looks.

“You need to stop being so sensitive,” are the words of many people in response to this issue. “Girls should take it as a compliment.” However, that has a negative connotation. In an unwarranted manner, being called ‘babe’ or ‘hot’ makes girls feel like something is wrong with the way they look. It makes them feel ashamed for feeling confident. It isn’t about girls being sensitive or emotional. It’s about the act of decency. Using the terms ‘slut’ or ‘babe’ can have just as many negative effects as a racial slur or a homophobic slur. But society has deemed those objectifiable words acceptable.

Rape culture exists. Sexism exists. Catcalling exists. It’s just about teaching people that what they’re doing is wrong. They may not know it, but boys are raised in a society that believes catcalling is okay. Or that consent isn’t necessary. But that’s never true.