The act of rape itself is undoubtedly frowned upon in the 21st century yet today individuals are working to change a culture which oftentimes subliminally promotes a real and active rape culture.

Sexual assault is a frequent conversation, especially on college campus’. However, the definition of ‘rape culture’ has been developing. 

Though it cannot be pinned on one thing, the trivialization of sexual harassment in the media is much to blame for it’s prevalence today.

Promotion of rape culture happens all the time and one might not even notice it. Negative sexual messages can be found in most areas within today’s media.

“It’s around us in everything, media in all forms. It can be found in music, movies, television shows, clothing that we buy, it is just engrained in our culture. I feel that it is something that we’ve become so accustomed to we don’t even notice that it’s there,” said Lori Allen, prevention and outreach advocate for access at Iowa state University.

Songs like “Blurred Lines” sport catchy beats and melodies yet the lyrics they contain which word “I know you want it” convey a tune much less appealing.

Many designer brand advertisements portray women in overly sexualized or objectified positions, a Calvin Klein advertisement for jeans showing a woman half naked with multiple men piled on top of her unzipping their jeans.

Even video games display content which degrades women and encourages sexual harassment.

“In the game Grand Theft Auto there is a part when you are the character where you go to a strip club and get a lap dance from a woman that is half naked. It seems normal within the context of the game but when you think about it it’s very degrading to women and portrays them as looked down upon and as an object from a men’s point of view,” said Bobby Awaijane, freshmen in finance.

Even though it does not seem like something as simple as a song lyric or a degrading photo could affect a culture to any noticeable extent the collective results are clear and there have been negative repercussions.

For young people especially, the way that sex is portrayed in the media has in many cases normalized the idea of sexual harassment making the discussion of it into a joke to laugh about and sometimes even something that is seen as no big deal.

According to www.eveydayfemenism.com at a University in Canada the chant “Y is for your sister. O is for oh-so-tight. U is for underage. N is for no consent. G is for grab that ass” was used at a student orientation.

Examples of this kind can be seen in multiple instances and even at prestigious colleges like Yale University where young men on campus were caught chanting “No Means Yes, Yes Means Anal!” (according to what)

These chants and sayings though maybe meant to be harmless promote this rape culture and are not in any way funny especially because the rape that is talked about within them is very real.

This being said many are working hard in order to turn the tide and although there are still many changes to be made the effort to make those changes is increasing.

Well known figures have been speaking out, making great strides in the fight against rape culture.

At the 2016 Oscars Joe Biden introduced Lady Gaga onto the stage to perform her song about sexual assault “Til it Happens to You” with a powerful statement.

“Despite significant progress over the last few years, too many women and men on and off college campuses are still victims of sexual abuse,” Biden said. “Tonight, I’m asking you to join millions of Americans…to take the pledge: a pledge that says that I will intervene in situations when consent has not or cannot be given. Let’s change the culture.”

Other political figures have also stepped up in wanting to make changes in rape culture. According to www.HilaryClinton.com, Hilary Clinton hopes to end campus sexual assault by providing comprehensive support to survivors, ensuring a fair process for all, and increasing prevention efforts.

“I am grateful we have a political administration that is now talking about sexual assault and what is causing rape culture. The conversation about it is becoming more mainstream. It may take awhile for that to reflect in what we see in the media in terms of adds or movies and it will not happen overnight but I am hopeful. I do feel like people are feeling the power to speak up about their experiences or how they feel when they encounter rape culture,” said Allen.

As technology and the media have had a negative impact in promoting rape culture they can also have a positive one and many hope that a cultural change will occur. Change is spread when individuals like Lady Gaga do use the media to take a stand against rape culture and sexual assault.

“I hope that people who feel that rape culture is trivialized or normalized will begin to get message that this is a problem when our society does not take sexual assault very seriously. We are very hooked up as a society, we are all looking at some form of technology, so any way we can get positive messages out there is fabulous,” said Allen.