by Grace Gnamoa, USP Intern
“Rape culture” is the term used to describe an environment where sexual violence is normalized and typically justified in our media, pop culture, and day-to-day life (Inside Southers, n.d.). When discussing rape culture, one helpful way to visualize the role it plays in our lives is through something called the rape culture pyramid. This pyramid consists of three to four tiers, starting with non-physical, yet harmful action and progressing to aggressive and violent actions. The base of the pyramid has actions such as sex jokes, catcalling, slut shaming, victim blaming, and numerous forms of discrimination. These actions are often seen as harmless, as it can be played off as a joke, or seen as normalized when addressed (Inside Southern, n.d).
The middle tier includes the more harmful actions, such as flashing, sharing non-consensual sexual images, “accidentally” touching a person, and groping. Similar to the low tier, these actions can be normalized once again, due to people not believing the victim, and even blaming the victim. The top tier consists of the most violent actions a perpetrator can do to a victim, such as rape, drug facilitated sexual assault, coercion, and even death. Unfortunately, many people of different genders and backgrounds are victims of these actions. The normalization of these actions are the basis for rape culture (Inside Southern, n.d.).
Virginia Action Alliance (n.d.)
The purpose of the rape culture pyramid is to allow society to visualize how harmful actions can eventually turn into violent actions, and how they present themselves in our society. Rape culture continuously affects the lives of many people, as it continues to create the power, control and a sense of entitlement that perpetrators have over others in our society. The social norms that contribute to the pyramid perpetuate inequality across genders, create a lack of respect and care for everyone, and minimizes the harm of sexual harassment and violence. The rape culture pyramid is not only useful in understanding what leads to rape culture, but is a helpful tool in identifying harmful behaviors, beliefs, and actions and what to do to address them when working to prevent sexual violence.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlights many ways individuals can prevent sexual violence, such as “teaching healthy, safe dating and intimate relationship skills to adolescents and promoting healthy sexuality” (CDC, 2024) This is the perfect opportunity to explain what consent is and how important it is for all parties to consent, regardless if it’s a sexual or nonsexual act. Individuals are also able to discuss their communication styles and how to go about discussing conflicts.
We can also promote going against the norms to prevent sexual violence by teaching people to be engaged bystanders. If you see or witness someone getting harmed, there are different ways to intervene. Even if you feel uncomfortable or unsafe by directly stepping in, calling for help is one of the best ways to protect yourself and the person being hurt.
There are many organizations that are constantly working towards dismantling this system, such as the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, which works toward creating change. There are also many state-based organizations that provide similar services for local residents. Rape Crisis and Recovery Centers (RCCs) provide confidential services to all victims and their loved ones such as:
All crisis-intervention, referral, and accompaniment services are free. In addition, MCASA provides support for survivors, as well as educational material including information about sexual violence prevention, such as bystander intervention and consent. There are many resources that anyone can use to do their part to create a change in how people view sexual violence and survivors.
References
CDC. (2024, June 7). Preventing Sexual Violence. Sexual Violence Prevention. Retreived here.
Inside Southern. (n.d.). Rape Culture, Victim Blaming, and the Facts. Southern Connecticut State University. Retreived here.
Virginia Action Alliance. Ending Rape Culture Activity Zine. n.d. Retrieved here.
