Protest sign- Sills, et al.

Media type: Protest sign

Concept source: Sills, et al.

Many public figures, including celebrities, politicians, our own President included, have had sexual assault and rape allegations made against them. Women have been coming out in stronger and stronger numbers to voice a terrifying event they endured. This often causes a disturbance among that certain figure’s following. Often, fans of the person take to social media platforms, such as facebook and twitter, to voice their opinions. In Sills, et al. article, they discuss how online platforms can both host and resist rape culture, and how they can create a  feminist counter public.

This photo of a protest sign, protest unknown, shows the changing mindset around rape culture. The changing of the phrase on the poster is like how you can have both sides of an argument on one platform, such as with online rape culture. The onus used to be on women if they were raped. People would sum it up to something that the woman was wearing encouraged it, or if she was drinking then it’s like ‘she asked for it.’ There are still people out there who will say and believe things like that, but the general public has been changing it’s way of thinking to deal with the root problem, not just the symptoms after the matter.

Many feminist movements have been sparked by online commentary. The #MeToo movement, for instance, is a hashtag created to help make a unified front among women and men who have been sexually assaulted. The #MeToo movement has gained international recognition and millions of participants through online platforms.

Ciolkowski, Laura. Rape Culture Syllabus. 15 Oct. 2016, www.publicbooks.org/rape-culture-syllabus/.

   Accessed 14 Nov. 2018.

"Me Too History." MeTooMvmt, Me Too, metoomvmt.org/about/#theory. Accessed 1 Nov. 2018.

Sills, Sophie, et al. "Rape culture and social media: young critics and a feminist counterpublic."

   Feminist Media Studies, vol. 16, no. 6, 23 Mar. 2016, pp. 936-48.