The article “Rape Myth Acceptance In College Students: A Literature Review” by Rosemary Iconis sheds light to the myths that surround Rape and sexual violence. According to the article and the FBI, one in four women will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime and women between the ages of 16 and 24 are more likely to be the reported victims of some form of sexual harassment. To be honest, this should come as no shocker as to why women in this age group are most likely to be the case. There are a plethora of factors that can lead to this but one common one that comes to mind is “beauty” and how it is often seen as its prime during pubescent to adult years. Often women who are younger, not too young but also not too old are seen as the pinnacle of beauty. It’s why “Instagram/social media models” are growing and getting a lot of followers at younger ages. Furthermore, this age group is when teenagers and young adults begin to explore themselves and get too trusting of others. This leaves an opening as perpetrators can take advantage of this trust. Hence why a majority of victims know the individual that has assaulted them. Lastly cases of rape, yes, are about sex. However, they also are more importantly about power. To individuals who have never spoken to rape victims or have never learned about anyone that has been raped, from an outside perspective it makes sense as to why it can be seen as a sexually motivated crime. But when looking at the interworkings of how rape occurs, it’s clear that those who are committing the crime have the upper hand, they are the ones in power and are able to force themselves on the victim. This isn’t a sexual crime about passion or anything. But a crime about power and treachery. The victim’s trust is being broken and they are being coerced or forced by someone with more power. As social media connects the world further and further, the spread of the modern feminist movements along with the attention of the international #MeToo movement, it’s becoming evident that individuals are beginning to realize that there are consequences to their actions. This will hopefully begin to decrease the number of rapes and sexual assault cases in the US and will change the stigma and stereotypes that surround Rape.
Author: Awais Rahman
Introductory Post #1 – Awais Rahman
Hello! My name is Awais Rahman. I am a junior at Hunter College and my Major is Political Science with my minors being Psychology and Sociology. I plan on taking this course and follow it up with Psych 180 next semester to finish my minor. I have taken this course before a whole year ago but due to another class I was stretched thin and could not finish my homework on time so I received a D. Still I plan on doing way better this time around and to learn anything that I didn’t pick up my first time around. I look forward to having a wonderful semester with you all.

