For those of you who don't know what victim blaming is, here's what it looks like:
Victim blaming is saying "You should have known better."
Victim blaming is being told "you ruined their reputation."
Victim blaming is saying “it’s your fault because you didn’t say no.”
Let me educate you; Here’s a video about consent that puts everything into perspective. It’s as simple as a cup of tea!
We live in a society where we “aim to please.” We have been told that it is our job to make our partner happy even at our own expense. But why? Why are we not concerned with ourselves first? Often, in the moment, the victim is scared to speak up in fear of the result. The next morning when these victims come to, they feel guilt and those who are strong enough to come forward are deemed to have “made a mistake” and that is why they feel guilty. But their guilt is internal. It is a battle with themselves and their inability to use their voices at a time where society has taped their mouths shut and laughed at them if they ever tried to take it off.
I’m sick of hearing “boys will be boys” In fact, it is a comment derogatory to both genders. For those of who do not live by this unspoken rule, it categorizes them into this stereotype. For women who feel the need to be compliant to this concept, it eliminates the strength and equality we have been fighting to achieve for some time now.
We are not guilty of the violence we have fallen victim to at the expense of the boy “who will be a boy.” Our bodies, minds, and spirits are our own and it is time we take control of them. The misuse of the socially constructed “power” isn’t a perception we should become comfortable with. Break the barrier. It is as simple as a cup of tea.
In a hook-up culture such as the one we have unfortunately become, we have to consider the ways in which we have added to this idea and change our habits instead of contributing to such a world.
Breaking down this idea is getting us one step closer to a world where feminism thrives.
It's time to take your voice back.
