Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and sexual violence against women is normalized by societal attitudes. Due to the accusatory nature of rape culture, the validity of its existence in American society is often doubted, but when popular culture, the judicial system, and institutional misogyny are all thoroughly examined, the facts prove rape culture’s undeniable place in both the minds and institutions of America.
There are many instances of pop culture’s perpetuation of rape culture seen in the music industry. All genres of music are guilty of condoning, normalizing, and even glamorizing violence against women, explicitly seen in several of Eminem’s raps and Robin Thicke’s 2013 summer hit. Eminem has vehemently rapped about …show more content…
One would assume that fans would abhor these lyrics and reject him due to the blatantly offensive and vile messages of these songs, but that is not the case. His career never faced any adverse effects or type of consequence over the fact he rapped about the rape and murder of women, proven by the fact that he has won a total of thirteen Grammy’s (Ryan). The only plausible explanation for why this behavior is tolerated and even celebrated is rape culture’s existence. The willingness to accept and glorify these songs proves rape culture exists because it demonstrates that the citizens of this country have become numb and apathetic to violence against women, which is the most basic definition of rape culture. Similarly, Robin Thicke also verifies rape culture with his 2013 hit “Blurred Lines.” The “blurred lines” in this song refer to a woman’s sexual consent. The song’s chorus consists of the phrase “I know you want it” which eerily resembles quotes from Project Unbreakable, an organization described as “an online photo essay exhibit that features women and men holding signs with sentences that their rapist said before, during, or
There are many instances of pop culture’s perpetuation of rape culture seen in the music industry. All genres of music are guilty of condoning, normalizing, and even glamorizing violence against women, explicitly seen in several of Eminem’s raps and Robin Thicke’s 2013 summer hit. Eminem has vehemently rapped about …show more content…
One would assume that fans would abhor these lyrics and reject him due to the blatantly offensive and vile messages of these songs, but that is not the case. His career never faced any adverse effects or type of consequence over the fact he rapped about the rape and murder of women, proven by the fact that he has won a total of thirteen Grammy’s (Ryan). The only plausible explanation for why this behavior is tolerated and even celebrated is rape culture’s existence. The willingness to accept and glorify these songs proves rape culture exists because it demonstrates that the citizens of this country have become numb and apathetic to violence against women, which is the most basic definition of rape culture. Similarly, Robin Thicke also verifies rape culture with his 2013 hit “Blurred Lines.” The “blurred lines” in this song refer to a woman’s sexual consent. The song’s chorus consists of the phrase “I know you want it” which eerily resembles quotes from Project Unbreakable, an organization described as “an online photo essay exhibit that features women and men holding signs with sentences that their rapist said before, during, or