Rape & Rape Culture

You may know Mariska Hargitay best for her portrayal of Detective Olivia Benson in the hit TV series Law and Order: SVU. But soon, you may also know her for her upcoming documentary.

On SVU, Hargitay’s character is a determined, empathetic detective known for standing up for the victims in her cases. In one episode, Benson counsels a woman who has been stalked and raped for years by the same attacker. Part of the reason this victim’s attacker was still on the streets? The massive rape kit backlog. Read more »

Rape commentary has been blowing up the Twitterverse, and as per the usual, not for reasons we should be too thrilled about. When I logged in yesterday, I was disturbed to find that “#LiberalTips2AvoidRape” was a trending hashtag, with gems such as these:

"If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." Rep. Todd Akin, in defending his stance against an exception for bans on abortions for survivors of rape and incest, claimed that women who are raped don't get pregnant.

There are so many things wrong with this horrifying sentence that it is hard to know where to begin. Here are my top 5:

1. A Member of the United States Congress uttered it.
2. The suggestion of "legitimate" rape. I'm not even sure what that means. My guess is that Akin meant a rape by a stranger. The idea that the only "real rape" is one by a stranger jumping out from behind the bushes is an outdated myth that for years was used to keep women from pursuing justice through the legal system. It also suggests that if a woman who was raped got pregnant, she must have somehow "wanted it" or else her body's super-pregnancy stopping powers would have kicked in. In fact, the mere phrasing he chose, "legitimate rape" is disturbing in itself. It sounds like there are some rapes that are OK, legal . . . . you know, legitimate. 

Another Friday is here, and we’re getting closer still to the end of the year. This week I’ve got stories on H&M’s new models, a controversial ad meant to curb teen drinking, a new documentary, and how mall Santas are managing expectations during tough times, all after the jump. Read more »