Why Its Okay To Rape and Assault Women
…because we’re TOLD its okay
(Rape of the Sabine Women/ Poussin)
Do you all know the story of the raping of the Sabine women?
The rape of the Sabine Women was an incident from Roman mythology, in which the men of Rome committed a mass abduction of young women from the other cities in the region. It has been a frequent subject of artists, particularly during the Renaissance and post-Renaissance eras. ( Wikipedia)
The Rape occurred in the early history of Rome, shortly after its founding by Romulus and his mostly male followers. Seeking wives in order to establish families, the Romans negotiated unsuccessfully with the Sabines, who populated the surrounding area. The Sabines feared the emergence of a rival society and refused to allow their women to marry the Romans. Consequently, the Romans planned to abduct Sabine women during a festival of Neptune Equester. They planned and announced a marvelous festival to attract people from all nearby towns. According to Livy, many people from Rome’s neighboring towns attended, including folk from the Caeninenses, Crustumini, and Antemnates, and many of the Sabines. At the festival, Romulus gave a signal, at which the Romans grabbed the Sabine women and fought off the Sabine men. The indignant abductees were soon implored by Romulus to accept Roman husbands.
There is many pieces of art addressing this taking of the Sabine women.
(The Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna)
Carved from a single block of imperfect marble, the torturously twisting Rape of the Sabine Women in Florence’s Loggia dei Lanzi, Piazza della Signoria, is one of the finest and most technically difficult sculptures in the world.
(Pietro da Cortona — Rape of the Sabines)
Most of these art works are from the 16th century, I believe during the Renaissance.
Did you know the Bible advocated rape?
Deuteronomy 22:28–29 “If a man meets a virgin who is not betrothed, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are found, then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not divorce her all his days.
Exodus 22:16–17 “If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with her, he shall give the bride price for her and make her his wife. If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money equal to the bride price for virgins.”
But her father is ultimately in authority over her, as her head, until he hands this authority over to her husband. If the man is unsuitable, the father can refuse to give his daughter to him. How many fathers would give their daughter to a rapist? Not many. So, in general, a rapist would actually have to pay a 50 silver shekel fine to her father, and not get a wife at all.
Just in these few examples, there is a definite theme…
Women are not equal to men.
Women are objects to be handed over to another male, in lieu of “shekels”.
So, how can rape be a bad thing, if the person you are RAPING is an object?
Wait? Women can be objects?
…
…
…
Yes. They are.
I believe this woman is impersonating a table of sorts, displaying objects that men buy.
I believe this is a set of women’s legs used as “ table” legs to display a purse/handbag…
Then there is this picture advertising a men’s cologne…
Or this advertisement for alcohol content, using a set of breasts comparatively to a set of beer cans…
I could show you more pictures ( and I will) but you get my point, right?
In each case, the woman is not represented in a “ person” like way, they are cut up, or lacking a personhood. Its a visual form of dehumanizing women.
Like this picture used by PETA…
Notice how the woman is cut up and hung like a piece of meat, next to to sides of slaughtered pigs.
Many would argue that I am being overly sensitive and that it’s just a picture. However, as the saying goes…
“A picture is worth a Thousand Words…”
Exactly what words are these images trying to convey?
This next advertisement is for the Mercedes S Class and a feature of this particular model is the “ airbags”.
Notice how the correlation between the airbags and the breasts.
Notice how there are no faces to go along with these women ( I suspect its the same woman)
This is another aspect of dehumanizing women.
Or this one of a silhouette of a woman advertising beer, with no human face at all. This silhouette has become a container to hold ones drink of choice, a six pack of St. Pauli Beer.
Here is an ad for BMW.
The correlation between being attracted to a woman with nice curves, but who is faceless.
Even in the video gaming industry, using a woman’s body to entice the purchase of a game is hardly nothing new.
Once again, there is the suggestion of a woman’s face, but only part, the full and engorged lips.
This was a popular advertisement for SEGA Saturn.
Make sure you take notice of the large print, IN CAPS…
“BEAUTIFUL NAKED WOMAN, NOTHING ELSE MATTERS”
When I wrote this piece several years ago on Medium, responses to it were quite astounding to me. But the most heinous of them all was this one…
“You’re just jealous that these women are gorgeous, you must be a fat pig who is a feminist.” ( or something close to that accusation)
And yes, I am a feminist, however, that has nothing to do with dehumanizing women.
It has to do with taking the images of women and piece by piece, no longer making them human at all, but reduced to an object, or an object used to serve MEN, and nothing more.
And that’s where the violence towards women BEGINS.
Like this advertisement, partial face, but CLEARLY rug burned knee caps.
What is the innuendo there?
Or the innuendo here?
This advertisement is for the company PUMA sportswear.
No face.
Dropped handbags.
Dropping to ones knees.
Upon closer inspection…
Splashed liquid on the women’s legs.
Remember how I mentioned the history of that piece of art, the Raping of the Sabine Women?
Well, this dehumanizing effect on women has been happening in advertising for a VERY long time…
Object?
A pear.
“Girls with too much bottom and too little top: Warners can reshape you.”
Or maybe this one…
This advertisement was for a microwave stacked on top of a food warming compartment and an oven.
Next to these objects? A nicely stacked woman.
This violence towards women attitude starts very early in advertising…
Why?
Because women are the PROPERTY of men. Plain and simple. If you own something, you have dominion to do whatever you want to do TO IT.
Think about it…
Remember when you asked your boyfriend or husband PERMISSION to do something? Because if you didn’t clear it with them FIRST, you got into trouble? You don’t have to answer out loud, but you know it’s happened to YOU. And I don’t mean asking your beloved out of consideration, either, thats different…
Here is more information about Jean Kilbourne…
In addition, here she is speaking at Lafayette College, for a TEDTalk…
15 min running time.
And some would argue that this is all from a women’s point of view, but how about from a man? A man who addresses how men are WRITTEN out of the domestic violence narrative and VICTIM blaming becomes the NORM…
15 minutes run time.
So…
Why is it okay to RAPE women, or commit VIOLENCE against them?
Because our society says its OKAY.
Put it this way…
Since the 70's , there have been hundreds upon hundreds of classes, seminars, instructional videos showing and telling women how to DEFEND themselves from being ASSAULTED/and or RAPED.
Prevention is the key, to make one aware of their surroundings, to be VIGILANT about themselves and their actions…
How many courses, seminars, classes, instructional videos have you come across telling or showing MEN not to ASSAULT or RAPE women?
Think about that for awhile…
And while you’re thinking about that, let me show you an image that will FOREVER be equated to the word RAPE, and how our society writes it off like its no big deal…
Remember Brock Turner?
He is now featured in a criminology textbook.
Professor Callie Marie Rennison, the author of Introduction to Criminal Justice — the textbook the image of Turner appeared in — says she is honoured to be part of shaping the way rape is talked about in an academic context.
“Existing criminal justice books have focused on three elements: cops, courts and correction. They speak little about victims, reflecting how they have effectively been in the shadows of our criminal justice system,” she said.
“In our book, victims are front and centre with equal emphasis as cops, courts and corrections. This is the way it should be.”
What was it Brock Turner’s father said about the punishment for his son, as he wrote a letter to the judge pleading for leniency?
“20 minutes of action…”
“20 Minutes of Action”
And how much time did Brock Turner serve of his SIX MONTH sentence?
He served THREE MONTHS.
…
…
…
Yeah…
Its okay to RAPE and ASSAULT women.
Look at the events concerning Harvey Weinstein. Many people knew. Many MEN knew. And many MEN did not speak up.
So, it’s okay, Rape and Assault is a condoned behavior…
Especially when society does not do too much to REJECT it.
