In an Artist Studio
Rape is the only crime in which the victim gets blamed. In recent years, more attention
has been brought to the subject concerning date rape amongst young women. Social media has
fiercely debated and brought attention to rape cases, colleges have put up exhibits in honor of
victims, and schools have put together organizations discussing rape safety. Needless to say, date
rape is highly talked about. Rape victims are taken advantage of, manipulated, and left with a
feeling of emptiness and shame. Often times the victims of date rape are even blamed due to
environmental factors such as clothing and alcohol and physical factors like dating. Rape victims
are not the problem: a misunderstanding of what rape truly is, an unjustified blaming, and a
surplus of college rapes.
In order to become a rapist, a person must lose all sense of humanity and morals. Rape is
not just about satisfying a feeling or completing the tasks that are genetically intertwined into our
makeup, it has a much deeper, sinister level: rape is power. It is the power to control, capture,
and conquer. Harvey Weinstein, an American film producer and executive, used his high
Hollywood status to force dozens of women, as well as men, into having sexual relations with
him in order to obtain their preferred position (Pollitt 1). On October 25, 2017, female actress,
Rose McGowan, along with a dozen colleagues, confessed to the New York Police Department
about the sexual assault crimes committed against her (Cooney 1). According to an article
written by Samantha Cooney, “the Weinstein scandal has sparked a national conversation about
sexual misconduct and prompted others to come forward”. This brave commitment of action
caused a growing number of eighty-two other women and men who were sexually harassed by
Weinstein before, during, and after filming (Pollitt 4). These men and women who have come
forward have sparked a raging fire to come forward and protest against their rape case, marking
the many other eminent names in Hollywood as well (Cooney 3). Some of these prominent
Hollywood figures include director Steven Seagal, actor Ed Westwick, and publisher Hamilton
Fish (Cooney 9). Weinstein, and others, used their authoritative and well-known names in a
sinister, inhumane way. These people had power over others, and used it to their “advantage”.
The truth is, there are dangerous people like this outside of Hollywood and people everywhere
need to alert themselves.
Women, and men, need to become more aware of the dangers this world, and society,
ential. How you portray yourself says a lot about you and what you are interested in. People
often express themselves through clothing styles, which is something that is almost always
pinpointed in rape cases. “What was the victim wearing”, is a question often asked by police,
jury’s, and anyone with a bit of curiosity. The sad truth: clothing has nothing to do with it. Just
because you dress “modestly”, skin covered up, nothing too provocatively tight, etc., does not
mean that you are safe. A university in Kansas created an art display titled “What Were You
Wearing” presenting the clothing rape victims were wearing during their assaults in order to
demolish the “clothing is a cause of rape” myth (Vagianos 3). A total of eighteen outfits are put
on display, collected from college and university students who sent in their stories anonymously,
online with a hashtag, and in in-person interviews (Vagianos 8). The exhibit does not display the
exact outfits the survivors were wearing, due to the fact that those outfits are used for
examination during rape cases, but each outfit was donated from students in order to help
replicate the clothing the survivors described (Vagianos 8). The most jaw dropping, thought
provoking outfits on display are not the “sexiest” or even the most revealing, but are the ones
who belong to young children, teenage boys, and those who were just going about an average
day in their life. When asked, “what were you wearing?”, a student at the university replied with
“A sundress. Months later, my mother would stand in front of my closet and complain about how
I never wore any of my dresses anymore. I was six years old” (Vagianos 14). Khakis and a dress
blouse were the clothes a young woman chose to wear to her class the day they were giving
presentations (Vagianos 13). A young man was wearing his favorite yellow t-shirt the day he was
raped (Vagianos 11). Jen Brockman, director of Kansas University's Sexual Assault Prevention
and Education Center, explained,
“When survivors come through, what we hear expressed often is validation
because they’ll share with us: ‘This was my outfit. What’s hanging on this wall
right now is what I was wearing,’ or ‘That’s my story. That story is just like what
happened to me… It’s not the clothing that causes sexual violence, it’s the person
who causes harm. Being able to find that peace for survivors and that moment of
awareness for communities is the real motivation behind the project” (Vagianos
10).
Brockman then went on to explain that the goal of the exhibit is to not only promote awareness
of sexual violence, but also to put an end to victim-blaming (Vagianos 5). Victim-blaming
happens far too often, especially on college campuses.
When the terms college and University come up, scenarios such as partying, drinking,
and “hooking up” might come to one's mind. Often times, people suppress words like “rape” and
like to pretend those things do not happen, when in fact it happens more than we are aware. An
example of this comes from a young college athlete in his first year of school who took
advantage of an intoxicated, unconscious young woman, who wishes to remain anonymous
(Truesdell 1). Some may argue that the woman was at fault for the rape due to her inebriated
state, or the fact that she was at a fraternity party so she must have wanted to gain something
from it. Alcohol is not the issue here, but rather a young man who thought no consent was
needed to have sexual relations with an unconscious person. Brock Turner, a freshman on the
swimming team at Stanford University, was caught on campus behind a dumpster raping a young
woman of twenty-two (Truesdell 1). After being taken to court, Turner was only sentenced to six
months of jail time, but ended up being released after only three months (Truesdell 2). Public
Defender Molly O’Neal claimed that his punishment as a registered sex offender “will literally
last for the rest of his life and is by no means a ‘light’ sentence”, as if the young woman does not
have to live the rest of her life with the horrifying memories of waking up behind a dumpster,
bloody and violated (Truesdell 1). In response to this outrage, the young woman whom the crime
was committed against wrote a twelve page letter to both her attacker and the court, which was
then released to the public causing an uproar on social media sites, news stations, and everything
in between (Truesdell 2). Vice president at the time, Joe Biden, wrote a letter to the victim saying
“I am filled with furious anger… Both that this happened to you and that our culture is still so
broken that you were ever put in the position of defending your own worth” (Truesdell 2). At the
end of the victim's letter, she wrote “Assault is not an accident....To girls everywhere, I am with
you” (Truesdell 3).
It is tragic to think about the insensitivity that is brought on to rape victims when they are
asked things such as “what were you wearing” or if they were at a party. This is true also for the
injustices in the places such as the film industry where men with power can control those below
them. Rape victims are never at fault or to be blamed. Perhaps we should be taking a closer look
at the rapist, the ones with unruly, inhumane characteristics who cannot control themselves. We
need to speculate the people who think “no” means “yes” or consent does not have to be given if
the person is unresponsive. Whether it is a date, at a party, or even at work, rape victims are not
to blame. Instead we need to grasp a better understanding for what rape truly is, the unjustifiable
blaming, and an excessive amount of college rapes.
Works Cited
Cooney, Samantha. “Here Are All the Public Figures Who've Been Accused of Sexual
Misconduct After Harvey Weinstein.” Time Inc., 9 Nov. 2017. Time.com,
www.blinn.edu/library/find/databases/subjects/index.htm.
Pollitt, Katha. “A New Day for Justice.” The Nation, 20 Nov. 2017, pp. 8–9.,
www.blinn.edu/library/find/databases/subjects/index.htm.
Truesdell, Jeff, et al. “Questions & Controversy: Stanford Rape Case.” People, vol. 85, no. 27,
27 June 2016, pp. 62–62. Blinn College Library,
www.blinn.edu/library/find/databases/subjects/index.htm.
Vagianos, Alanna. “Art Exhibit Powerfully Answers the Question 'What Were You
Wearing'.”Women, 14 Sept. 2017, pp. 1–8. Huffington Post,
www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/powerful-art-exhibit-powerfully-answers-the-question-
what-were-you-wearing_us_59baddd2e4b02da0e1405d2a.
