he wanted me to
want it so he pulled
at my hair and screamed
“cunt” at me even though that
was all he wanted from me.
but they told me that my
chastity belt would
break if I wanted it because my
virginity was all
I have to offer. Then
they said my body
wasn’t good enough because I have
stretch mark scars that cut
through my skin and my
breasts don’t point
outwards like a neon open sign because I
am not your pornstar Barbie doll with
hard to crack plastic restraints around my
weak wrists and flimsy ankles. My
thighs
still touch at the top where there are
bumps from dull razor blades that were
supposed to get rid of the human hair that
still grows in spiky stubble on my legs.THIS IS NOT AN APOLOGY LETTER
this is a manifesto about how
my virginity cracked
into pieces that he held
through rose colored lenses that
let him call it
consensual. This
is a hate letter and a
love song about
STDs being the
slut’s disease and
antibiotics being the
chalky white excuses for
men like him to say
she asked for it.this poem is the
short skirt the
tight dress that
squeezed out the
“no” he
never wanted to hear the
tight dress that let him
scratch me black and blue underneath
the lining of cotton underwear.this
is a list of things
I want like a
strapless bra that actually
supports my breasts because
after all, they’re all
I’m really worth.
I want
you to stop calling the tampon aisle
the”feminine hygiene aisle” because it
makes women
sound dirty
dirtier than the
men who ask for
garters first and
consent second.
and I want
their tongues to stop
twisting like
knives and I want
people to stop telling me to settle because
settling for love is like
settling for dirty air
full of gas
and the ghost stories they tell
to haunt women.
Oh god, I’m going to be sick.
First of all, the fact that whether or not you fight hard enough against the assailants determines whether Lara is sexually assaulted or not is completely disgusting. It goes right back to the whole victim blaming idea of “But did you fight him off? Did you try to run away?” Just because you can punch hard doesn’t mean you’ll never be raped. Just because you can smash buttons in the right order doesn’t mean you’ll never be raped.
The article also mentions how the executive producer of Tomb Raider said that men playing the game will feel as though they’re protecting Lara, rather than feeling as though they are being raped themselves. There are so many things wrong with that sentence that I don’t even know where to start:
a. Despite popular belief, men can relate and empathize with a female character without losing their manliness.
b. Using rape as a plot device, especially one to make men feel better about themselves, is sick, misogynistic, and unfortunately an increasingly common theme in comic books and video games.
c. There will be many many players out there who will be extremely pleased by the fact that they can let Lara be raped. Plenty of sickos out there are going to love seeing Lara Croft sexually assaulted, and the creators of this game are enabling and practically encouraging them to enjoy the experience.
d. Men can be raped, and I’m sure there will be quite a few male players out there who have been sexually assaulted themselves. I’m gonna wager that they probably won’t enjoy seeing that in a video game
e. Surprise surprise, women are going to play Tomb Raider too. And, just like with male players, there will women playing this game who have experienced sexual assault themselves.
By leaving the outcome of this situation up to some button pushing, you are trivializing and dismissing their experience. You are saying that a victim can escape rape if they simply fight back hard enough. You are putting the decision of sexual assault in the hands of the victim rather than the rapist.
Rape is not a joke, rape is not a game, and rape sure as hell isn’t an unlockable achievement.
okay wow we had to watch this video on dating violence in school today
and the main issue I had with it was that when it started talking about the more severe signs of an abusive relationship, the people kept saying “non-consensual sex”
no
it’s called rape
most of the examples brought up were like “oh he threatened/guilted me into having non-consensual sex” but one girl talked about how her boyfriend held her down and “had sex with her”
no no no that is rape
physically forcing someone into having sex with you is rape
verbally manipulating someone into having sex with you is rape
if one partner says no it is rape
calling it “non-consensual sex” just gives dumb high school kids the idea that if someone isn’t held down or beaten up, it’s not as bad as so-called “normal rape”
no no no no no
