‘Blurring+the+Line’+-+Cementing+a+Rape+Culture+in+our+Society

** Educating around safety and desire in human sexual relationships **
 * Topic: From ‘Condoms on Bananas’ to Negotiating Consent: **

Stephanie Pattinson Student Number: n8835641 Tutor: Judith Meiklejohn

media type="custom" key="24295626"


 * __ Artefact description __**

This YouTube clip, “Defined Lines” has sparked much controversy and interest since it’s release in March this year. It is a parody of the well-known Robin Thicke song, “Blurred Lines”, a song that has been questioned and put under scrutiny by many feminist groups for ‘blurring the lines’ between consensual and nonconsensual sex. Three New Zealand law students who believed it was a bit of fun but also an important issue to bring to the fore, created this ‘provocative’ video. The central issue presented in this clip is; women should be treated equally and not objectified in music videos and all media forums, which is very prevalent and seemingly accepted in today’s society.


 * __ The Public Health Issue __**

Guckenheimer (2008) states that the concept of ‘rape culture’ is a belief system throughout a society that supports and accepts forms of sexual violence.The public health issue focussed on in this report is the prevalent ‘rape culture’ in our society today. It is an often-avoided topic due to its controversial nature and this report aims to challenge these barriers by focussing on what rape culture is and how we are educating our future generations about it. Are we simply going to sit back and accept it as part of our society? Or are we going to make a difference by creating awareness through better education and prevention programs? The culture needs to change especially with the increasing amounts of music videos, advertisements and other forums of the media, depicting women and acts of sexual violence as the ‘norm’. This is a challenging, yet crucial barrier to break down so the serious nature of rape is understood and the importance of equality between men and women is recognised.


 * __ Literature Review __**

After murder and manslaughter, society considers rape as one the most odious of crimes and this is justified and supported by the legislation as each crime carries the same penalty. The Queensland Criminal Code Act (1899, s.349) states that any person who rapes another person is guilty of a crime with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Although this legislation for the crime of rape itself is in place, it unfortunately does not hinder the development of a rape culture. Hamad (2012) simply stated rape culture does not mean that every one is a rapist or that people are willing to proclaim positive remarks about rape, it is about a culture that fosters a particular environment. Hamad (2012) and Guckenheimer (2008) both state this particular environment involves the following aspects; types of sexual violence being excused or considered sexy, a perception that partial responsibility for the act of rape is placed on the victim and lastly downplaying the seriousness and prevalence of rape. A detrimental result of this rape culture is that the majority of rapes go unreported. According to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (2009) 60% of sexual assaults in America are not reported to the police. According to this research the recurring reason for not reporting these crimes is because the victim felt the incident was ‘too minor’ or they wanted to keep it private, out of shame or embarrassment (Australian Institute of Family Studies, 2013). The Australian Institute of Family Studies (2013) provides alarming statistics, only 1 in 7 women who experience sexual violence from someone they know will report it and only 1 in 6 women will make a report if the perpetrator was unknown.

Sexual assault is defined as an act that is performed in a sexual nature directed at another person who; does not consent, gives consent due to dangerous intimidation or is not capable of giving consent (e.g. age and disability) (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2013). Furthermore Marshall Cavendish Corporation (2010) presents that the concept of consent is largely defined by legislation to help determine when a crime has occurred. However society tends to play a large role in constructing its own concept of consent and this has been proven to be a highly contentious issue when considering the emerging rape culture in societies today.

A major challenge with this as a public health issue is the way the media is consistently using derogatory and misogynistic views to sell products around the world. Forums such as music clips, television advertisements, magazines, newspapers and radio segments are continuously influencing the definition of rape (Kitzinger, 2013).

So what is being done? There is an increasing amount of research regarding rape culture and how to challenge this issue. This is exemplified by the studies that have been conducted in different places around the world to test the efficacy of rape prevention programs in young adults. Two interesting studies were conducted in Israel and America; both are countries where sexual violence against women is alarmingly high and unfortunately as a consequence, a very prevalent ‘rape culture’. Klaw et al. (2005) focuses on developing a //rape consciousness// with young adults. This was done by creating awareness and understanding about the serious concerns and statistics surrounding sexual violence (Klaw et al., 2005). The rape prevention program conducted on Israel students had a homogeneous focus, as they wanted to achieve changes to their attitude, knowledge and behaviour through awareness as well (Moor, 2011). According to Klaw et al. (2005) this awareness and understanding is the foundational element to changing attitudes and behaviours, especially towards rape. The evidence stated these studies deemed successful in creating awareness and an increased understanding regarding the social and cultural issues surrounding rape. The studies could measure a significant attitude change among the participants of the programs however there was a significant limitation (Klaw et al., 2005; Moor, 2011). The limitation to the research is the lack of accurate measurements to determine the extent of behavioural changes from a long-term perspective. In addition to this finding a study was conducted by Townsend and Campbell (2008), to identifying the common practices in rape prevention programs. Significant homogeneity was found across all of the programs (Townsend & Campbell, 2008). This homogeneity is effective for awareness of the issue however supported by Klaw et al. (2005) and Moor (2011) studies, there has been insufficient evidence to demonstrate positive behavioural results to reduce the prevalence and incidence of sexual violence. Townsend and Campbell (2008) continue on to state that there is an over-reliance on attitude and knowledge changes in the programs and the interventions need take a more direct approach on behaviour and skill building. The question is, do these programs do enough to prevent the rape culture emerging through the influential media as well? This is an emerging field of academia and there is still so much research that needs to be done and awareness that needs to created to make a change in society today.


 * __ Social and Cultural Analysis __**

To obscure the reality of one of the most heinous of crimes is unexplainable, however sadly, it is happening everywhere. This is a major societal and cultural responsibility and things need to change for the health of the worldwide population. The consequences of sexual violence and rape on the victim’s health are both physically and psychologically damaging (Bohner, Eyssel, Pina, Siebler & Viki, 2013). Feminists argue, it is the prevalence of accepted sexual violence in society contributing to the gender inequality (Bohmer et al., 2013). It is further supporting the status quo of male dominance keeping women living in a constant state of fear (Bohmer et al., 2013). As previously stated the number of reported rapes is dangerously low and within those cases that are reported conviction rates are declining (Bohner et al., 2013). A result of the stigma associated with sexual violence, nobody wants to talk about it, Hamad (2012) stated in an article //“First rule about rape culture: don’t talk about rape culture”.// This is creating a large gap or silence in society and also within the justice system. Bohner et al. (2013) supported by Franiuk, Seefelt, Cepress and Vandello (2008) studies state the widespread presence of ‘rape myths’ are mainly propagated by the media. These ‘rape myths’ are problematic assumptions about the perpetrators and the victims to trivialise the assault or suggest it did not happen at all (Bohner et al., 2013; Franiuk et al., 2008). Examples of these myths about the victim revolve around statements such as, “It’s her fault, she was asking for it”and “she didn’t say no at the time”. Myths about the perpetrator try to excuse his behaviour, “he didn’t mean to” and “it’s out of character for him” (Franiuk et al., 2008).



Kitzinger (2013) reports how rape has been represented in the media from as early as the 1970’s to the twenty-first century to show how society has transformed and dealt with the discourses and representation of rape over time. The Women’s Liberation Movement in the 70’s was a significant time as recognition of violence against women and equal rights was high on feminists priorities. Feminists envisaged rape and all forms of sexual assault as an embedded culture of violence against and simply utter disrespect of women (Kitzinger, 2013). The movements made by feminist groups in the last few decades has caused a rapid increase in the expansion of media attention on sexual violence particularly against women. There are positives to this media attention as Kitzinger (2013) stated, the media coverage aided in helping women to recognise the issue as ‘real’ and encouraged serious thought and discussion rather than the crime being considered inconceivable. Although the media has transformed since the 1970’s the negative outcomes of portraying sexual violence in the media today are outweighing the positives (Kitzinger, 2013). Feminist criticism towards mainstream media and it’s way of validating sexually violent behaviour is often overlooked or even worse, ignored. This a major concern as the media is the most influential domain in shaping and embedding a rape culture into society (Kitzinger, 2013; Bohner et al., 2013; Franiuk et al., 2008).


 * __ Analysis of Artefact and Personal Learning Experiencing (217/250) __**

When reflecting on the artefact I believe it is an extremely effective representation of what it would be like if men were objectified in popular music clips, just like women are all the time. I also would like to acknowledge the original version of “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke is not the only or the worst music clip that presents women like this, however I think it is very topical. Most people would hear this song on the radio and sing along without realizing what the lyrics are saying and for me, I see this as one way of accepting/cementing the emerging rape culture as a part of our society. This form of objectification of women should not be accepted or even more so, made fun of and it is extremely interesting how much controversy was sparked when roles were reversed in the above clip. I have gained an in-depth understanding from the research and much of the controversy in the media that I personally need to be more critical of the forums that are depicting women in such a negative light, especially in a sexual manner. In the future I will critically analyse what is being said and the true message being portrayed in all forums of the media, to make a step in the right direction to help stop this rape culture from being further cemented into our society.


 * __ References __**

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2013). Sexual Assault. //Crime Victimisation, Australia//. Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4530.0Chapter2062011-12

Australian Institute of Family Studies, Australian Government. (2013). Facts and figures - Australian Centre for the study of sexual assault. Retrieved November 1, 2013, from []

Bohner, G., Eyssel, F., Pina, A., Siebler, F., & Viki, G. (2013). Rape Myth acceptance: cognitive, affective and behavioural effects of beliefs that blame the victim and exonerate the perpetrator. //Rape: Challenging Contemporary Thinking.// 17-45.

Criminal Code Act 1899 (State) s.349. Retrieved from []

Franiuk, R., Seefelt, J., Cepress, S., & Vandello, J. (2008). Prevalence and Effects of Rape Myths in Print Journalism: The Kobe Bryant Case. //Violence against Women (14)//287. doi:10.1177/1077801207313971 Retrieved from http://vaw.sagepub.com/content/14/3/287

Guckenheimer, D. (2008). Rape culture. In C. Renzetti, & J. Edleson (Eds.), //Encyclopedia of interpersonal violence.// (pp.581-583). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. doi: [] 63923.n387

Hamad, R. (2012). The excuses society makes for rape. //DailyLife.// Retreived from []

Kitzinger, J. (2013). Rape in the Media. //Rape: Challenging Contemporary Thinking.// 74-98

Klaw, E., Lonsway, K., Berg, D., Waldo, C., Kothari, C., Mazurek, C., & Hegeman, K. (2005). Challenging Rape Culture: Awareness, Emotion and Action through Campus Acqauintance Tape Education. //Women & Therapy, 28//(2), 47-63. doi: 10.1300/J015v28n02_04

Marshall Cavendish Corporation. (2010). //Sex and Society - Consent//. New York: Marshall Cavendish Publishing

Moor, A., PhD. (2011). The efficacy of a high school rape prevention program in israel. //Violence and Victims, 26//(3), 283-95. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/876078821?accountid=13380

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. (2009). Statistics. Retrieved from []

Townsend, S., & Campbell, R. (2008). Identifying Common Practices in Community-based Rape Prevention Programs. //Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 36//(2), 121-135. doi:10.1080/10852350802022399

1. http://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/share/view/64704400
 * __ Reflections __**

2. http://healthcultureandsociety2013.wikispaces.com/share/view/64704594