In class we had a guest speaker come in and talk to us about Sexual assault. She talked about the facts of sexual assault and how sometimes rape occurs even though it seems like the woman wants sex. The video I posted below is an example of how men can sometimes force themselves on woman, and even though she says yes, she obviously does not want to have sex.
Link is Here
"See that, 50 No's and a Yes, means Yes."
Link Up There ^
What happens in the video is called Verbal Coercion. Coercion is the use of emotional manipulation to persuade someone to something they may not want to do – like being sexual or performing certain sexual acts. Examples of some coercive statements include: “If you love me you would have sex with me .”, “If you don't have sex with me I will find someone who will.”, and “I'm not sure I can be with someone who doesn't want to have sex with me.” Coercive statements are often part of many campus acquaintance rapes. Being coerced into having sex or performing sexual acts is not consenting to having sex and is considered rape/sexual assault.
Sexual assault can be verbal, visual, or anything that forces a person to join in unwanted sexual contact or attention. Examples of this are voyeurism, exhibitionism, incest, and any form of sexual harassment. It can happen in your home by someone you know, on a date, or by a stranger in an isolated place.
Rape is a common form of sexual assault. It is committed in many situations: On a date, by a friend or an acquaintance, or when you think you are alone.
Rape and sexual assault are never the victim’s fault — no matter where or how it happens.
This post brings up a valid point. I feel that in today's society women do almost everything that they do to please men; from their appearance,what places they hangout at, and even sometimes how they act. This video shows that even if women do not feel comfortable with doing certain things, it is likely that they will give in to please a man. Even if a woman knows that she does not want to do something they feel pressured and intimated. This could be a viable reason why sexual assault goes so far as rape. Men are powerful figures in our society so it is easy for women to feel threatened in certain situations.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100%... a lot of girls will do things they may not agree with or want to do at first, just to make sure they keep the interest of the guy they like.
ReplyDeleteI feel that society plays a major role in women having to please their men. For example, the magazine Cosmopolitan always has articles about, "20 ways to please your man in bed", but I have never seen an article that says "20 ways to say no to your man." This magazine is definitely one of the highest selling magazines to women. When women are constantly seeing articles about solely pleasing their man, of course thats what women are going to do. Women forget about their feelings, their insecurities and focus on men. The more focus women put on men, the less they focus on themselves. I feel that coercion occurs so much because women are worried about men and not about themselves. This causes women to follow those gender norms that society has instilled in us. Women must be passive, polite, listen to men, please men, etc. None of those gender norms are positive for women. They are just demeaning us even more.
ReplyDeleteTo be quite honest, i have been a victim of this. I did anything to keep this guy i liked around. I constantly dressed up in high school. I wore make up every day. I tanned often. I did everything to get this guy to notice me. I gave a lot up for this guy, but it wasn't worth it. The attention he gave me lasted for a little bit, but not long. I wish i would have realized what i was doing then. I was definitely coerced into a lot of things that I never wanted to do and regret doing. I thought i was doing the right thing. I was doing what my friends were doing, what magazines told me to do, but what i should have been doing is be myself. I changed for someone who really didn't care about me, just like a lot of women do.
This post has many interesting points that have been brought up an caught my attention. I think that society does play a major role in the way women view themselves and how they want to be perceived by men. Not only does social media affect women's thinking, I believe that the environment they grow up in plays a major part in how women act and dress. For example, girls that go to private schools over public schools are more 'sheltered' in a sense of pregnancy, school dress code, behavior, and the amount of people in your school. In public schools there is a very diverse population and kids have more freedom than private school kids. As stated in one of the articles in class, the way you dress can put off a different image to others than you want and they might take advantage of you. Public school girls don't have to wear a uniform and they can portray themselves any way they want. Boys can see how girls dress at school and try to understand what their personality is. Guys can take advantage of girls who dress more risque because they look 'easier'. I think a main part of why girls dress risque is not because they want to be taken advantage of, but because they want attention and it's what they see in magazines, commercials, and advertising.
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